Thank You for the Venom
by Upstart Psycho
Summary: A masked man barges into Phoebe's court with news of a threat to all Ooo and she has no choice but to call up Finn. As complicated as their relationship is, muddling through these tough times might just rekindle her trust in him. But, who is this Masked Man and what are the secrets of his past?
1. In Which Phoebe Has a Visitor

_**A/N: thought I'd put this little thing together. This idea came to me while I was watching stand up comedy and listening to the My Chemical Romance song that this is named for. So, I hope you enjoy.**_

 _ **UPDATED: fixed a few things :)**_

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

The shrill, metallic ringing of the analog clock echoed in the large room. The room was tinted in all shades of red and orange, made from an amalgamation of stone and metal components. The luxurious bed that sat in the room was adorned with sheets of the finest fire silk, pillows filled with some soft material that couldn't be named if anyone wanted to.

... And then, the groggy queen underneath them, trying to drown out the alarm. With a final groan, Phoebe, the Flame Princess of the Fire Kingdom, reached out and stopped the alarm. The heat of the kingdom was far too much for any digital clock's electrical components or insulators to handle. She made a mental note to get some engineers on that. Tiredly, she climbed out of the bed and made her way to the vanity mirror.

Flame Princess leaned on the table and yawned widely. Her hair was its usual bonfire style, her bangs swaying gently against the sides of her face. She set about brushing her hair out, looking into her reflection. Her odd, radioactive green eyes set her apart from the rest of the Fire Elementals, but she liked her eyes. Hair brushed, she dressed in a deep colored gown made of a surprisingly light material that flowed with her movements.

The throne room was boring.

It was a simple fact of life.

She hated sitting around all day, but enjoyed helping her people. Flame Princess disliked how stuffy her council was and how small the room seemed to get throughout the day, but it was her job. Her job as acting queen was one that she quite enjoyed, especially with Cinnamon Bun to help her out from time to time. Though, even with her knight at her side, the duties had been quickly piling up. It wasn't as simple as people lining up in front of her anymore.

There were people coming at her with suitor requests, major trade offers, pushes for her to make alliances, and now there was talk of her having no heir. She was 17, for Glob's sake! Sure, she was by no means immortal, but she was young! Her brow furrowed her brow as she sat down in the throne and crossed her legs. "Is something the matter, Highness?" Cinnamon Bun asked.

She replied coolly, "I'm just thinking over the inquiries from the people."

"The suitors?"

"Refused."

"Is it Finn?" he asked.

Flame Princess paused. For some strange reason, she could never bring herself to be with someone else. A few months of "cooling down," so to speak, she found that she may have misjudged Finn, having not listened to his explanation for deceiving her. But, on the other hand, his actions during her father's revolt were unacceptable. Until he matured, she would continue to be his friend, but she could never be anything more to him with a kingdom to be devoted to.

Finally, she replied, "I don't know, CB."

The day passed at a snail's pace. Giving someone this, accepting something from that- _renew the flame shield on that person!_ All of it was as dull as dull can be, but if it helped her people, then it was worth it. Night fell on another day. "Goodnight, Highness," the pastry man called to her from one end of the hall.

She called back, "'Night, CB."

Slipping into a nightgown quickly, she fell into her sheets' embrace.

* * *

 _"Help me."_

 _Undefined figures stood facing each other. They charged each other and clashed in a huge flash. The voice spoke again, "Hear my voice, Highness. Hear it!"_

 _The Cosmic Owl cried out._

* * *

Phoebe sat straight up in her bed, a fraction of a second before her clock went off. There was a brief moment of fear before she decided to shake it off. Whatever that owl thing was, she wasn't entirely sure that it was good. The throne room, once again, was where her day was spent. The monotony of it, however, was soon to be broken.

A guard from the gates of the palace jogged down the isle and kneeled in front of her, "Your Highness, there is an outsider at the gates wishing for an audience. He's injured, but... He's armed."

"What?" she leaned forward anxiously, "Did he attack? Are you hurt?"

The guard paused for a good while, "No. No, he didn't. In fact, he's waiting rather cordially for a man with an injury. What is your command?"

"Let him in. I'll see what he wants."

The guard got up and went back to the gate. Cinnamon Bun seemed less enthused, though, "Are you sure we can trust him?"

Flame Princess answered, "How can we expect others to trust us if we're too cautious to give them our trust?"

"I suppose that makes sense..."

As they finished speaking, the outsider (they assumed) came it. The monarch was astounded to find that he looked human. Finn had told her that he was the only one left, which had gotten him down. But, this man, he had to be at least 20 years old. His body was well defined and muscular.

The upper body was left bare, with the exception of a strange cloth that wrapped about his shoulders, over his neck and lower face. It effectively covered part of his nose and ears, then the loose part of it came over his right arm like a miniature cape, just below his elbow. His trousers were black and looked comfortably loose with a utility belt thrown haphazardly over them. They were tucked into a pair of black leather boots that stopped short of his knees. There were two golden wrist braces on his wrists that seemed to have magical qualities, if the glow was anything to go off of.

The man's eyes, oddly enough, were a light shade of lavender and his hair, an incredibly dark purple. The hair itself was thick and stood on end on the right side. His bangs came down to hang just above his eyes in a couple of thick locks. And finally, the sword on his back rested in a black scabbard. The hilt was the classic cross guard, but the handle was in two sections, suggesting it was supposed to be two handed.

The pommel was metallic and shaped as a triangle with the base being curved. _**(Think Isildur's sword's handle)**_ True to his word, there was a stream of blood running down the arm covered by the mini cape. He spoke, "Please, Highness. I'm asking for your help."

"First, tell me your name," Phoebe said.

The man swiped his good arm, "There's no time for that! I was being chased earlier. The only reason I waited was out of hospitality, but it will catch up to me soon!"

Flame Princess crossed her arms, "Your name. Total honesty and transparency. That's the law here."

His eyes widened, "Are you insane?!" he looked behind him briefly before turning back, huffing, "My name. My name doesn't matter. Please, just address me as Amun."

Just then, there were sounds coming from outside. Grunts and cries of pain echoed through the halls. "No!" Amun hissed, "It's here."

"What's here?" Flame Princess's eyes narrowed.

Before he could answer, whatever it was slammed itself against the doors once, twice, and a third bashed them open. Amun reached up with his good hand, his left, and unsheathed the sword, holding it with relative ease. The blade pinched where it met the cross guard and was about the length of his entire arm. There was also a line of thin, elegant runes etched into the blade on both sides. "Pastry," Amun commanded, "Stand guard over her Highness. If this thing takes me out, it absolutely _cannot_ get to her!"

Cinnamon Bun brought out his lance and readied himself, "Right."

The beast was almost amorphous. It was a greyish form, muscular and tall, standing at eight feet tall. It had no face, no ears, no distinct features. Despite being completely nude, there was nothing to specify gender. The only to be said about it was that it had claws.

Its fingers were elongated and sharpened into claws, easily identified as the cause of the wound on Amun's covered arm. Phoebe herself got up and clenched her fists, effectively igniting her flames brighter. Amun charged the monster at full speed. It, in turn, let out a terrifying screech, from where, no one was certain. The human swiped the sword right to left, only for the monster to jump over it.

He lunged, making to pierce it, but it dodged just right of the blade. It made its own move, driving its head into the stomach of Amun. He retched and dry heaved, down on one knee. As it tried to slash him with its claws, he rolled away. Finally, he dashed to make a hit.

The sword came across its back, drawing a deafening squeal of pain. The beast swiftly turned and backhanded Amun away, packing enough strength to send him straight into the wall. The impact knocked the sword from his hand and caused him to yelp in pain. He hit the ground with a thud. Then, the monster turned its head to lock on the princess.

Cinnamon Bun stepped forward, "Beast. You shall not pass!"

It replied with a screech as it charged. The knight met the charge with gusto of his own. Claws dug into the lance, which suddenly came back into its face. Cinnamon Bun spun on his heels and powerfully slashed at its torso. Another cry of pain from the monster.

The small victory, however, was short-lived. It retaliated almost immediately with a connecting slash from its claws and a punch to the pastry man's face that knocked him out cold. Finally, it came to Phoebe. A series of guttural clicks that could only be described as a laugh disturbed her, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Her hands flared up into two fiery dagger-like blades.

Although she had the power, she didn't have the speed that the monster had. It was easily weaving around the series of slashes from her hands and managed to get its own small hits it. Finally, it ran at her, but dragged its claws against the flooring. It flung up a massive amount of dust and debris into her eyes. Flame Princess yelped and rubbed at them frantically.

It charged at her. _No! I let my guard down!_

"Y-Your Highness!" Amun cried out.

She prepared for the inevitable, but only heard the sound of tearing flesh. There was no feeling, just the sound. Her clouded vision came around the more she rubbed at them until she could see again.

The monster's claws were inches from her face. But, from its chest protruded a shorter, pure white blade. Black blood oozed over the blade, quickly ebbing life from it. The sword yanked out and with a quick swipe, its featureless head rolled off of its shoulders.

The body collapsed and revealed the victor. "Finn!" Phoebe gasped.

Amun slowly got to his knees. His chest and back throbbed from the impact of the attack and wall. He looked to see a young man, 17, with a blue aura about him. The adolescent wore cargo shorts and a t-shirt, both different shades of blue. He wore something on his head; it was furry and thick and had... bear ears?

Indeed, it was like he had taken a polar bear's skin and cut the head off, only to cut a hole where his face was. The fur was more than enough to cover most of his neck and part of his shoulders. How he wore it in this heat was beyond Amun. He spoke, "You okay, FP?"

"Yeah," she replied, "Thanks, Finn."

Finn sheathed his sword in the strap on his pack, "What was that thing?"

He crouched down and picked up its head, thoroughly intrigued. The viscous, black liquid leaked from the bottom of it as he examined it. "That's one of his 'emissaries,'" Amun said.

He approached slowly, clutching his his injured arm under the cloth. "Who are you?" Finn asked.

"Allow me to explain that."

* * *

 _ **Alright! New story! Let's get this party started! Next chapter will explain who this mysterious Amun is and what the deal with that creature was. So, until next time...!**_


	2. In Which a Man Tells a Story

_**A/N: Okay, guys. It's time for another chapter.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"My name I refuse to give. For all intents and purposes, I am Amun. I've dedicated my life to the art of magic and swordplay as a member of the select few of men in my tribe of peaceful folk-"

"You mean..." Finn interrupted, hopeful, "There're more humans...?"

Amun sat down on one of the bleachers lining the throne room. He dropped as if a heavy burden were on his shoulders. " _Were_ ," he said, bitterly.

Finn and Phoebe sat on either side of him. Finn, who was at his left, rested a firm hand on the man's shoulder, "What happened?"

"To tell _that_ story, I'll have to tell you a legend," he adjusted in his seat.

Amun groaned in annoyance before holding out his good hand. A soft, golden glowing orb formed, like a miniature sun. He held the glow above his injured arm and wisp-like bands danced around the exposed flesh and through the cloth-covered parts, much like streamers in the wind. The glow went on for a few seconds before dissipating. He sighed happily, "Sorry. That was getting to be _very_ irritating. Now, where was I?"

"The legend," Flame Princess replied.

He slowly reached up and unsheathed his sword again, laying it across his lap. "Yeah," he stroked the runes gently, almost lovingly, "There were ascended beings, supernatural even to _this_ world, yet could not scrape godhood. But, to some, they _were_ gods. To men, each of these beings gave a single relic of great power. One was a lantern from the being, Anubis, which could resurrect the dead.

"The next was an amulet from the one known as Bastet. This granted the user with inhuman speed and reflexes. Nut **_(pronounced like newt)_** gave her shroud the power to make the wearer invisible. Next, both Sekhmet and Thoth gave their circlets to man, one that granted immense strength and agility, and the other would grant omniscience. But, to wear one, you must give up the other.

"In my possession, there is the sword that Isis gave to man. It's been passed down from generation to generation of warrior. And, I also have these," he gestured with his wrists, "These wrist bracers given by Sobek grant immunity to any fire."

Finn's eyes widened slightly and he eyed the bracers greedily. But, almost immediately, a feeling of horror swept over him. _What am I doing?! He came for my help! Push it down, Finn..._ Amun continued, "The other two relics I've failed to mention have fallen into the possession of a chaotic, evil man known as Set.

"The legends say that gathering all nine of these relics will give the gatherer the power of Atum, the perfect being. This power is insurmountable in every way. Set carries the Wing of Ra, a spatha that can produce a blinding light to cripple the oppenent. Lastly, he has the Scepter of Horus, which manipulates the minds of all under its effects into obedience. That monster, Set; he destroyed my home.

"He came from nowhere, demanding our relics. We made the mistake of refusing," Amun faltered, voice trembling, "H-He killed everyone. Even women and children weren't spared."

He stopped, his eyes fogged over with tears. They ran from his eyes and into the cloth that covered his lower face. "M-My father-" his voice cracked, "My father had been a simple man. It was my mother who bore me into the warrior's life, Divine bless her. Papa had been one of the first to die.

"My mother fought back, being one of the guardians of the relics..." Amun trailed off, then breathed in and out, "I hadn't been there to help her. Mama, she- I-... When I returned, he turned to face me."

The man gripped the hilt of his sword in his lap. His speech slowed down, "He... _gutted_ her. It-... There was a look of such horror on her face..."

Then, he clenched his eyes shut, snarling, "That day, I swore vengeance. I'll repay him what he paid me tenfold!"

Slowly, Finn stood, facing both Amun and Phoebe, "Look, I've never really been good at this junk, but, I'm sorry you lost your family. And, even if I've lost my parents, too, I never had to see them die. But, I swear, whatever you need, I'll be right there with you."

Flame Princess stood up, too, "Same goes for me. Whatever you need."

Finally, Amun stood and wiped his eyes with his free hand. "Thank you both, from the bottom of my heart," he said, then looked to the hero, "Finn, being human, you'll find equal use in one of these as I."

He removed one of the wristlets and placed it on Finn's right wrist, "Here. Only to _begin_ to repay the debt I owe to you."

The blue aura around Finn immediately dissolved, leaving only the human. "Wow," he looked at his hands, "This is different from flame shield. I can't really explain it..."

"It's simple," Amun replied, "It doesn't really shield you, per se, it alters you. Your entire anatomy down to the cellular level is made to withstand the critical heat in this Kingdom and any form of fire. We could stand on the surface of the sun."

"Oh, wow," Finn smiled widely, "That's so math!"

Finn's enthusiasm caused a smile on the princess' face. "Now. Where do you want to go from here?" she asked, "Where do we start?"

Amun sheathed the relic, "We'll start with the Shroud of Nut. Finn, we will go to your home if you wish to prepare. This is gonna take a while."

The young hero nodded, "Alright, then. We'll all head there."

"Before we go, I'll need to..." she trailed off as she made her way to the unconscious Cinnamon Bun.

He groaned as she picked him up, "FP? Where's that creature?"

"Easy," she took him over to the nearest seat, which was her throne, and sat him there, "Finn killed it."

The knight's eyes widened, "Finn?"

Finn smiled and lifted a hand to wave, "Hey, CB. Sorry you got your noodle knocked."

"Cinnamon Bun," Phoebe started, "I'm gonna be going with Finn and our new ally, Amun here, to help with something really big."

"But, who will run the kingdom?"

She only smiled confidently at him. The look on his face was that of astonishment, "Please, I can't-"

"I believe in you, CB."

Finally, he nodded, "Very well."

The monarch beamed, "Thank you! Now then," she clapped and turned to the other two, "Lemme just get changed."

* * *

The enormous, rolling plains of the Grasslands never ceased to amaze the fiery young woman. Endless green all around her, perfectly still. Yet, a single gust of wind could animate the entire landscape. Bright green eyes scanned over every detail, soaking in the life surrounding her. Amun had opted to travel a bit behind them while she kept pace next to Finn.

They had been walking for at least half an hour, but neither had spoken. Finn mostly looked skyward, both hands cradling the back of his head, a small smile gracing his features. While she _did_ enjoy peace and quiet, she'd never really known Finn to be quiet, "Um, I'm glad you showed up when you did. Why were in the Kingdom?"

He cast her a sidelong glance, "Hm? Oh, well, I figured I hadn't visited in a while."

With a soft 'oh' from the princess, they once again fell into silence. The awkwardness was palpable to Amun. He made a face akin to pity, mixed with an arched brow and dimpling one end of his mouth under the mask. "Your Highness?" he piped up.

"Yeah?" she looked back at him.

Amun motioned for her to come to him. Flame Princess slowed her pace to match the masked man's. He lowered his voice, "Are you two...?"

She waved her hands in front of herself defensively, "Oh, no, no, no. That ended a while ago. We're mutual friends."

To her, she only saw his brow furrow skeptically, "Right. You just remind me of... someone I knew."

"Really?" she asked, getting to be just a bit curious.

"Yeah," he drawled, his voice dying down.

Phoebe noticed his eyes soften and glaze over, leaving a forlorn air about him. However, before she could ask, Amun blinked and the feeling was gone, "But! I really can't fret over that until the relics are secured."

That made the young ruler frown in concern. Whoever this man was, there was more to his story than what he gave away. "But," he began again, "I _am_ curious, Highness. Why total honesty?"

Flame Princess tensed at that. Of course, she wanted to lead by example and she didn't like lying, but Amun was still a stranger. She answered as carefully as possible, "Simple. Someone lied to me that I didn't think would lie to me."

"So, you imposed honesty on your people?" he replied calmly.

She didn't take too well to that, "With total honestly, I can avoid a good deal of pain."

"Life _is_ pain, Highness. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something," he smirked under his mask.

"You don't understand anything," she huffed.

"I know what it's like to be in love. I also know what it's like to be lied to. Now, I wasn't lied to by anyone close to me, but I've been betrayed plenty in my travels," he explained, "Now, I know that as awkward as things may be, you and Finn won't work together well while... _this_ is happening, whatever this may be."

"Listen here, Amun," Flame Princess flared up and pointed a finger in his face, "I don't know you, and you don't know me, no matter what you say. _Don't_ tell me how to live my life or fix my problems!"

He glared back, "I'm trying to _help_ you."

She crossed her arms and turned her head from him, "Well, I don't _want_ it."

"You stubborn little...!"

"Well, here we are," Finn cut in happily, oblivious to the previous argument.

They entered the massive Treefort and the younger human called out, "Jake? I'm back."

Jake replied as he came from ladder, "Already? Was FP not there or som-"

The dog's gaze shifted between the monarch and the other human next to his brother, "Okay, did I eat something bad or is this real?"

"It's kinda hard to believe, I know," Finn gestured to the other human to his right, "This is Amun. He's human. I'm still a little confused about what we're doing, but I'll roll with it."

With that, Amun cleared his throat and began relaying everything that he'd told the others to Jake. When it was all said and done, he smiled, "Well, you're not weird like Susan, so, whateves. Do you need me along on this dungeon run?"

"Actually, Finn's only getting some stuff. In the Chambers of Nut, it's better to have fewer people to keep track of," he explained.

Jake seemed puzzled, "Why's that?"

Amun began explaining, "In the Chamber, it's black. There's no light at all and it goes underground for miles. I went in once with a few torches, but it went too far for them to last. That's partly why I went to Flame Princess. She's living light.

"Meeting Finn was completely coincidental. Sooner or later, though, I'd have asked for your help in this endeavor. Dealing with Set isn't going to be easy. But, for now, I think it needs to be just me, Finn, and her Highness."

The magical dog looked off to the side, deep in thought. Finally, he said, "Okay. Just... Keep my bro safe. I worry when he goes at stuff without me."

"I'll protect him with my life, Jake. Besides, he's proven himself quite capable," he replied, a soft look in his eyes.

Only then had they all noticed that Finn hadn't been there for most of the chat, as he had been gathering up stuff for the trip. He somersaulted through the ladder hole and landed on his feet with a quick "hup!" Finn grinned, "Y'all ready?"

Amun nodded and they headed out. Of course, the masked man led the way, leaving Finn and Phoebe to trail behind him. There was an awkward silence bearing down on them like a heavy storm cloud. Amun was acutely aware of this, sighing to himself. He mumbled, "There must be a way..."

Soon, they came to a massive gate. The two doors were framed by what looked like the profile of a woman contorting her body into an arch. She was completely painted to look like the night sky. Etched into the doors was a phrase, "Trust not your eyes, but your heart."

"Okay," Amun said loudly, "Stay close to me."

* * *

 ** _Okay! In the next chapter, the gang goes through the dungeon, and they begin to find out more about this mysterious Amun..._**


	3. In Which the Journey is Begun

_**A/N: alright, another chapter. Sorry for the long wait. I've just become a brony these last couple months and let me tell you. Wow! That fandom has a sh** ton of content. I've been steeping myself in that content for a while. I've even started writing my own story on it, so you bronies that are reading this too, if there are any, go and check it out!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Every time he would enter a dungeon, Amun would kneel. He would grip the hilt of the relic sword and every time, in his mind, neon orange eyes peered down at him softly. They would close, and he'd stand back up. "Sorry," he said, "It's kinda like a ritual I do when I go into caves or whatever."

Finn raise his hands in mock surrender, "Nah, man. You're good."

Flame Princess found the small display odd. Odd enough that she pondered what it might be about. _What is he hiding...? Could it possibly be harmful to me or Finn?_ she sighed, _Just focus, Phoebe._

Before anyone moved, Finn had a chance to really take in Phoebe's new appearance. A top covered her torso, the collar tall like a turtleneck. Though, it was backless, like a dress, only held together near her lower back. It was a luminescent yellow. Below that was a deep, fiery red skirt that stopped just above her knees, the hem of it licked the air as flames would.

The only thing that could lead anyone to believe she were about to enter a dungeon would be the boots she had on. The same deep red of her skirt reflected in the pair of heavy trekking boots that came up mid-shin. However, her hair remained in the same bonfire 'do. Through the enormous doors, awaiting them, the atmosphere was black as pitch. Light flooded in from the outside, but never revealed more than the floor beneath them.

Upon entering, everyone felt distinctly cooler. Even Phoebe found herself noticing. Goosebumps rippled across Finn's arms and Amun's bare chest, but he remained stoic. "You'll get used to the chill," he said simply.

He held out his right hand and it tensed a moment before a glowing flame burst forth. Amun went on to say, "I'll be able to keep this up for about an hour before I'm too drained."

Then, they walked. With nothing around them to see but the floor and walls (if they were lucky), there was a thick layer of boredom and lethargy caked to their movements. At that point, the younger human was matching Flame Princess step for step, purely for the amusement, taking moments to look down at them. She spoke, "So, hi."

"Hi back," he was far from being hostile, but he was still watching his feet.

"'Sup?"

"Oh," he sighed, "Walking. You?"

"Walking."

The two of them slightly chuckled at their exchanged. "What have you been doing over this past year?" she asked.

"A lot," he said.

Phoebe allowed a few seconds for him to say more, but he never did. So, she said, "Care to elaborate?"

The human's eyes shifted to the ceiling. "You won't understand."

"Wanna bet?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Please, FP-"

The flame monarch flared up, whisper-yelling at him, as to not alert Amun to their conversation. Finn also tapered off speed and fell behind the other human a bit. "Don't you think you've kept enough secrets, Finn?"

He flinched and looked her in the eyes; green to blue, a turquoise storm raged between them. There was a look in his eyes she'd never seen in him. It was a look that didn't suit him. She also noticed that there was a certain glimmer gone from his eyes, as well. Like a piece of his innocence had vanished.

"Let me keep this one, FP. Just this one."

She let him.

Acting on a whim, she placed a hand on his shoulder, simultaneously amazed at the feeling of cotton fabric. "Finn," her expression had softened, "If you need someone to talk to, I'm still your friend, right?"

Finn gave a small smile. She knew it was fake. "Of course," he said, "Come on. We'd better catch up to Amun."

The longer they walked, the dimmer Amun's flame got. The man kept his gaze straight ahead, firmly focused on his objective ahead, but the two teens could see beads of sweat on his brow. And then, when his flame became to dim to light the way, Phoebe took the lead. They walked for another half hour before Amun spoke, "This is where I'd turned around last time. My torches lasted for three hours"

Another half hour passed them by in walking when the previously narrow corridor opened into a deep, dark space. "I don't like this," Finn said warily.

Flame Princess replied, "Neither do I."

With the exception of the pillars that held up the ceiling, the room was barren and the floor was still rock and soil. Amun said, "Highness, can you dim your light at all?"

"I can."

"If you would."

Just barely able to see each other, the older human motioned the other two to follow. As quiet as creeping death, they slunk across the room. But, as they had almost reached the door, the earth itself shifted and the doorway disappeared. A voice, everywhere and nowhere at all, called to them, "Who encroaches upon me?"

It sounded lazy and tired, but firm in a way. Amun answered, "Me and my companions. These are Finn the Hero and Phoebe, Queen of the Fire Kingdom. As for myself, I take the name Amun."

"Amun...?" it drawled, "You take my kin's name as your own? Are you so haughty?"

Amun didn't answer; instead, he said to the other two, lowly, "Geb. He is one of the ascended beings. Far more powerful than any of us can handle."

"You do not answer. So, I will continue. To pass me by to my Father, you must answer me this: _Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters_."

To be completely honest, he had not expected a riddle. A mute? No. A minute passed by of guessing. Finn himself tried working it out. He could've sworn he'd heard this before, from Jake. "The wind?" the young hero tried.

Silence prevailed until the doorway appeared. "Proceed," it said.

As they were exiting, Amun turned, "Good spirit, can you answer this: _How is a raven like a writing desk_?"

"It can produce a few notes, though they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front."

Beneath his mask, he smiled, and then left through the door. Once again, the corridor became narrow. Phoebe took the lead again and brightened her flames. Meanwhile, Finn was getting uneasy. Well, it was him getting bored more than anything.

He got kind of paranoid when he got bored. Crazy ideas start popping up in his head if it goes on too long. But, this dungeon was dreadfully _boring_. When this Amun guy first told him about these ruins they'd have to go through, he thought they'd be up to their knees in baddies. But, no.

Instead, it's hours upon hours of walking. He sighed, hanging his head just a bit. A small chuckle drew his attention. It was Amun's, surprisingly. "Hanging in there, Finn?"

"Yeah," he said, "Just bored."

"Just be patient. By the time this is all over, none of us are gonna want to do anything for a while," he said, "Take it from me. Finn, we all gotta slow down someday. It's better sooner, rather than later. Things pass you by that you regret not holding on to."

Flame Princess piped in, "That's good advice. Fourteen years slipped by me while I was in that lamp. I'm cherishing every moment I have outside of it."

The cloaked man gained a devious gleam in his eyes, "I'm well aware of your story, Highness. I'm not too much older than you two, but I remember visiting the Fire Kingdom as a boy. _However_ did you get out?"

The other two became a tad flustered. Phoebe crossed her arms and Finn shoved his hands in his pockets. "Finn got me out, and-"

"Well, it was all Jake. I mean-"

"By extension, you had _some_ part in it."

They both were flushed and laughed nervously. _So that's how it is. Young love,_ Amun mused wistfully. But, damn a thought like that made him feel old. "Well, by the Divine, you two must certainly have quite the history. Perhaps you two could spin me a yarn?"

Finn and Phoebe exchanged soulful glances, if only for a moment. Then, they began telling the masked man their story, a story three years in the making. The young hero hardly believed it had already been three years since they met. The more crucial details of their relationship were covered in more detail. However, it seemed as though Finn's side only got more sorrowful.

The breakup was not where they ended it, though. After that, Phoebe told how she usurped the throne from her evil father, and then how he tried to take it back with Don Jon. Finn's mind sunk into shame with each detail told from the young queen's view. The guilt he felt with hindsight grew on him. He wished that he hadn't waited so long to mature.

"... but, we're really good friends now," she wrapped up, "And Finn's one of the only true friends I have."

"That's a very intriguing story you have. Very complicated. I like it," Amun said.

It was unclear just how long the story had lasted, but by that time, they had come to yet another chamber. This one was different from the last in the fact that instead of being a wide open room with stone everything, it was room with hardly anything but the pathway. The thin strip of stone dropped off on either side into an abyss without any end in sight. At the very end, beneath a ray of sunlight, was a torso mannequin figure, draped in a pitch black cloak. Amun stopped Finn and the queen with a hand to each shoulder.

He stared ahead, "Behind me. We don't know what's next."

They crossed the threshold onto the pathway, only for another voice to speak to them. Unlike the last, this one was a loud, yet a murmur. A whisper that resounded in their ears. "Who encroaches upon me?"

"I am called Amun," a breeze whisked through his violet hair.

"You are not of my kin, yet you take their name. Are you a thief?" it asked, then a stronger wind came with its sigh, "Never you mind. I wish not to know. What do you wish of me?"

The man stood firm and answered with as much confidence as he could, "I wish to proceed to the relic."

"What of my Son? Was it the mind or matter that defeated him?"

Amun was puzzled. He answered, "The mind?"

"Children. This man's words ring true?"

Phoebe and Finn looked to each other, then nodded to what they hoped was the voice. There was a long silence. Then, the spirit said, "The air does not lie. The air embraces and rarely buffets those who are surrounded by it. Lo, I have seen you pass my son's trial.

"My own trial was but a test of truth and honor and gentleness. You have but one trial remaining. Step into the arena."

The great room shook with vigor. All three of them struggled to maintain their balances. Two pillars of stone, both semi-circular, arose from the depths of the blackness. The came to meet the rest of the pathway with a resounding crash. Together, they made a huge circular floor.

"When the air is passive, you move with equal peace," the voice announced, "But, when the air buffets. You must learn to buffet back!"

The ground also shifted below their feet, forcing them into the arena. Amun's wide eyes didn't do anything to comfort the two younger teens either. Inside, he was panicking. _Shit! We're not fighting Shu, are we?! We'll be slaughtered!_ "Both of you, be on guard! This is gonna be a hell of a fight!" he shouted.

With that, Phoebe was dropped into a combat stance and Finn's pure white sword was unsheathed. Amun stood straight up, left hand up and gripping the haft of his sword. They waited. The stone floor across from them softened into mud and rippled. It undulated and shifted until it rose out of its place in the ground to form two humanoid figures.

Amun's grip tightened, "Get ready."

* * *

 ** _Woo! I am back, baby! Hopefully, you liked this little chapter. Next chapter will include a nice battle, and maybe build on Finn and FP's little rekindle. Y'know. Stuff... Thangs..._**


	4. In Which There is a Battle

_**A/N: I'm getting back into this story, so let's get right back to it!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

For the longest time, the two sides stared each other down. Metaphorically speaking, that is. The two earthen creatures were ambiguous in every sense of the word, even to the point where they didn't have faces. But, unlike Set's monstrosity, these two didn't give such an air of dread or anything. They simply felt as if they _existed_.

Amun couldn't describe the feeling much further. In addition, the creatures didn't make a sound. They were completely silent as they stood, shorter than Amun and taller than Phoebe. Beneath his mask, he smirked. He trained all his life to fight, but gripping the relic sword for battle somehow filled him with new life.

Behind him, adrenaline flooded Phoebe's system, causing her senses to sharpen. The range of her glow became all too apparent to her and she brightened as she tensed. The princess looked to her ex-boyfriend, examining his posture. Finn's body was surprisingly lax and he had no particular stance. The lithe way he stood steered her thoughts more toward irritation.

Obviously, this was an attempt to impress her again. Phoebe inwardly scoffed, _Like he can impress me with a sloppy fighting style._ But, he looked at her and she caught herself. This was Finn she was thinking so harshly about, not some hotheaded novice. Finn was looking at her with a mixture of question and wariness, as if to ask if she was okay.

His eyes then told her to relax, so she did. She exhaled, and something he told her a while back came to her head. _"The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be,"_ he had told her.

She knew that Finn had been doing this sort of thing practically since birth, so she trusted him, for the first time in a while. Suddenly, with a great lunge, Amun was on the attack. His relic sword was unsheathed now and, apparently, the humanoid golems could be taken by surprise. With a heavy rightward swing, the blade dug into one of the golems' shoulder and dragged across its torso in a horizontal gash. But, Amun didn't let it stop there, for as soon as his blade released the stony surface, he spun on his heel and cleaved his blade back across to make an "x" all along its chest.

As quickly as it happened, the beast was on him, making swipes at his arms and legs. As the older human dodged left and right, above and below, he thought it strange. _It's as if it only wants to incapacitate me._ But, he couldn't pay it much more mind because the other golem joined in. For being made of stone and mud, they moved quickly. "I gotcha, Amun!" Phoebe cried and charged one of the golems.

Her hands flattened, every swipe the fiery monarch made at the creature was tailed by a razor-sharp stream of fire. As Phoebe began picking up momentum with her attacks, they became more and more effective. Finn jumped into the fray with Amun, making slashes with his own sword into the golem. Its torso then dislodged from its waist as it swung both its arms. Both of the humans ducked under the helicopter effect its attack made.

The masked man held a hand out, facing him. There was a blue mist that was exuded from it, with ribbons of the same energy slowly swirling around it to confine the mist to a sphere of sorts. With a determined grunt from Amun, he gave one final lunge and shoved his hand into the golems chest. With a flash of pale blue sparks, the sphere burst, blowing the golem to pieces. He panted ever so slightly and Finn hardly seemed fazed, but he supposed that was to be expected of the first dungeon, which was usually the easiest.

They turned to help the fire elemental, who was still slashing at the struggling golem, but were stopped when they heard the rumbling of pebbles, then rocks, then boulders. Before their eyes, the golem manifested once again, but this time, a red hue glowed from within its core. Then, the stubby rock fingers it'd previously had connected to its lanky boulder forearm retracted. Colorless, transparent crystals slithered their way out of the stub of it until the amount of spikes were nearly countless. Finn and Amun had their weapons ready.

But, Finn heard a cry from the elemental and turned. The golem she was fighting had finally dodged a miscalculated strike and sent her flying the hero's way. He caught her, mid-flight, and set her on her feet, "You good, FP?"

Her eyes were still closed as the ringing in her ears faded. She nodded, shook off the blow, and glared at the creature, "That _royally_ ticked me off."

Finn snorted and dropped into a more fitting stance, "Yeah, I'm sure we'll give this guy a _royal_ beating, _your Highness_."

"Oh, har-har," and they both dove in.

As Flame Princess slashed at its chest again, it swung at her legs and arms in its attempt to incapacitate her. She leapt over its head and Finn charged in where she had been as the golem turned to fight her. A mighty swing of his sword cleaved its head off of its shoulders. Finn used the momentum of his run to vault over its arm to Phoebe's side. "Alright, FP," Finn motioned for her to stand back with him, "This is where it gets tricky."

Meanwhile, Amun had been parrying attacks left and right to avoid being gored on the golem's crystal pikes. The crystal was just as strong as his sword and he was hesitant to see if his blade might break it. But, the golem had its chance. A quick jab and Amun shifted to the left, but he was met with the golem's right hand, which was still normal. Disoriented, Amun was helpless as the creature continued the onslaught, bringing it's stalagmite-riddled arm to knock the relic sword from the guardian's hand. The same arm was brought back to bash into Amun, sending him into the air and to the ground, sliding until he went over the edge of the arena.

Just barely, he managed to catch the ledge, but he still dangled there. A single looked down and he let out a terrified whimper, now breathing heavy. Finn noticed the poor man and muttered, "Dammit," then cried, "Amun!"

"Keep fighting," he shouted, "I can hang on for just a while longer."

Finn dodged an arm, "How do we beat them? Anything we do with a blade just regenerates."

Phoebe's flames flared brighter as she growled with frustration. Her flame was nearly white when she cut through one of the golems' arms, and it fell limply to the ground. The nub of its arm bubbled and smoked. Unfortunately, that only seemed to further anger the being, as its red core suddenly turned black. There was a cosmic, whiteish-purple glow lining the blackness.

Its torso disjointed again as it spun out of control, the crystal pikes becoming more like a horizontal saw. The princess stepped back, only to meet the edge of the arena. Her glow dimmed a little as she panicked, green eyes darting around for something, anything! The golem moved towards her at a snails pace, but there wasn't enough space for her to get out of the way. Phoebe flared up and brought her arms up to defend herself.

She felt a pair of arms grip her waist and she was yanked out of the way. And Finn cried out in pain. Phoebe was now to the right of the golem, who had stopped spinning when its attack missed. It was twitching and looked unstable. Finn groaned and was on his hands and knees.

There was thick, warm blood covering his back and staining his shirt. A few large openings had been gouged into his back by the crystals. "Oh, no. I'm so sorry Finn," she cried.

The hero's breathing was shaky. His only response was a thumbs up. Phoebe picked him up as best she could and put some distance between them and the golems. Amun was on the opposite side of the arena and she could hear his struggle to hang onto the ledge. The wound on Finn's back was bleeding heavily.

"Finn, I've gotta stop you from bleeding," she used the gentlest voice she could manage as she reached for the relic about his wrist, "This is gonna close it up, but it's gonna hurt for a second, okay?"

The wristlet was off and she placed her hand on top of a section of the wound on his back. Finn tensed and pounded the ground with his fist, but held his tongue as the elemental cauterized the gashes. His skin screamed at him, his blood boiled, and hot tears streamed from his eyes. "I'm sorry, Finn," she whispered and tried her best to comfort him.

The golems were closing in on them and there wasn't a way out this time. Finn's wounds were closed up now, but it wouldn't really matter if they died anyway. But, then she felt the ground beneath them. The soft, doughy soil was familiar to her, its reddish color recognized. It was clay.

She knew how to beat them.

Phoebe stood to face the golems, in front of Finn. She heated her body, raising her core temperature rapidly. Her skin lightened to almost white, her eyes looked more chartreuse, and her hair glowed blue at the roots and yellow from there. With a glare, she said, "Fire beats clay."

She stretched out her hands and sent a stream of flamed out from them. The flames engulfed the two golems and seared them until they boiled, bubbled and slowly melted. But, that wasn't enough. A sharp cry came from the fiery monarch and more heat was pushed out. Now, they began to solidify.

As the flame slowly died down, the golems had solidified and were effectively stuck in place. The glow within both died. Phoebe fell to her knees, panting. Her coloration returned to normal, but she was still panting and wheezing. She forced herself to move and made her way to Amun.

Eventually, he was pulled back up onto the ground. Flame Princess laid there for a second while Amun went and got Finn. She looked over to see her ex with his arm draped over the older man's shoulder. She could catch little bits of what Amun was saying, "I'll patch you up, kid. Don't worry."

The clustered voice of whispers echoed throughout the vast room, "Well done. I had but a moment's doubt if you would succeed. But, I have been proven wrong. Go. Claim the shroud for your own."

"Thank you, spirit," Amun said.

He set Finn down next to Phoebe and proceeded to unfurl the familiar golden wisps onto his back. The gashes slowly closed and disappeared the longer he held the spell. Just short of him being completely healed, Amun stopped. "I'm sorry," he panted, "My reserves of magic are nearly empty. And that wouldn't be very good, now would it."

There was a silence among them until finally Finn began chuckling breathlessly. Soon thereafter, Phoebe joined in and then Amun. Soon enough, all of them were laughing joyously at their victory. "Woo," Amun chuckled, "Alright... Let's go get that cloak. The Divine knows we've earned it."

Over the course of two minutes, they tried getting themselves up, laughing slightly. Now at the far end of the room, Amun gently stroked the silken fabric of the black cloak. Beneath the mask, he smiled as a new feeling of progress filled him with joy. He was one step closer to revenge. "Hey guys," he got Finn and Phoebe's attentions.

Amun draped the cloak about his shoulders over his own cloth. Everything draped in it vanished. Oddly, and a bit out of tune, he sang, "I ain't got nobody, and a-no a-one a-cares a-for a-me."

Silence.

"No? Well, then. Erm, let's just get out of here."

When they finally backtracked out of the dungeon, Finn melodramatically yelled, "Natural light!"

Phoebe giggled.

The way back to Finn's Treefort, they talked about their just past year.

* * *

 _ **I'm sure you want to know what they talk about. Well, I'm feeling gracious, so I'll begin the next chapter with that. So, until then... See ya!**_


	5. In Which the Villain Introduces Himself

_**A/N: I've spent so much time just trying to get through the first dungeon that I'm gonna have to remember which one I was going to have them go to next... So, this chapter will be a little scattered. Forewarning, haha.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

The sweltering heat of summer in the Grasslands was accompanied by an orchestra of crickets, birds, and cicadas. The sun was already set, but midsummer was relentless. Stars speckled the sky and clouds of farther stars trailed all over. There was no moon, so darkness washed over Finn, Phoebe, and Amun on their journey back to Finn's home. Only, the peace of the night was currently being interrupted.

"You lost your _arm_?!" Phoebe's panicked expression frightened Finn slightly.

Actually, it was enough to stop the three adventurers in their tracks. "Well, yeah. But, I mean, it's back now. See?" Finn waved the new right arm, "Good as new!"

Phoebe, however, was too caught up in the fact that Finn had gone and lost his entire arm. He had shown her the thorn in his hand when they discussed their year. It kind of saddened the fiery young woman. It sounded like he wasn't having any trouble moving on from her and was living the life of a hero. Maybe she had driven him off, even as a friend, after the incident she liked to call the "Red Throne" incident.

But, her logic still stood. Finn had been immature and a burden to the mission. Phoebe grabbed hold of his arm and inspected it, "And this is because of your grass sword?"

"Yup. Curses gonna curse, y'know."

Amun motioned for them to get moving and commented, "Cursed objects that bind to a body part, limb, or appendage are particularly hard to be rid of. I've heard of different accounts where people have cut off limbs, only to have the limb return with the object."

Finn shrugged, and the princess sighed. "What about you, FP?" he asked.

"What about me?"

"Your hair looks nice," he said, and lifted a hand to touch, only to hesitate and retract, "Have you recovered from that poison that your servant slipped you?"

Phoebe blinked, "Y-Yeah, Finn. That was a while ago."

Flustered now, the hero's face grew red and his hand flew up into his hat to scratch his hair. "Well, y'know, I worry sometimes. It's kinda my fault that things didn't go so well and you weren't looking too good then. So, when I saw that your hair was nice and glow-y, I just thought I'd ask."

"That's sweet, Finn. Thanks," she smiled, and the trio fell into silence.

They walked for a while before Amun spoke, "I won't be sticking around for too long. Sorry, but I need to gather the relics as quickly as I can."

Finn's Treefort was in sight now. Said owner was not pleased, "What? You're leaving?"

"Yes," he said, curt as ever, "You helped me get through Nut's sanctum. I won't ask for more help than I need."

"But, I really wanna help now," Finn cried out, "Whatever's going on, it sounds like the rest of Ooo is involved. I have to play my part as the Hero of Ooo!"

A laugh rang out, but not Amun's or his own. It was a laugh of amusement. The air darkened, thickened, almost suffocated the three of them. A new voice pierced the air, "So, this is your band of misfits? 'Amun', is that what you call yourself now?"

Amun froze. His eyes widened. Suddenly, he couldn't move. Fear gripped his whole body. Finn and Phoebe watched as a man no taller or older than Amun came up behind him.

He was human, and his skin was tanner than Amun's, almost bronze. Black hair was slicked back neatly, white teeth smirked jokingly at them. His clothes were a darkly colored blazer over a t-shirt with jeans and shoes. On his back, a scabbard was strapped securely, and each of his hands held an object. One held a simple yo-yo, and the other held a golden scepter with the head of a falcon.

The yoyo went down and up, down and up, then came to rest in his hand. That same arm came around Amun's shoulder, who was still frozen and slightly trembling. One of the man's eyes was closed, leaving the other open. His open eye was outlined thickly in markings that made it look distinctly like the Eye of Horus. His iris was a golden yellow and had a reptilian slit for a pupil.

On his forehead, another eye made of light glowed. "Y'know, I was in a market just the other day, 'Amun,'" he chuckled mockingly at the name, "Made me think of you. Or, at least, that tart you used to tool around with-"

Amun took in a sharp breath and tensed, glaring into the other man's face. The man came off his shoulder. He put his hands up in mock surrender before meandering to the center of the trio and continued to sling the yo-yo. "Guess I really shouldn't call her a tart. Bit rude, I guess. Ruder still, I haven't introduced myself," he turned to Finn, "My name is Set. A pleasure."

Finn's puzzled expression morphed into hatred, "You're Set? The one who murdered everyone in Amun's village?"

"Is that what he told you?"

"Yeah!" Finn said.

"And you believe him?"

"I'll believe him over scum like you," Finn snarled.

"A shame. You really shouldn't," Set's smirk widened when Finn faltered, "I mean, you're helping someone you don't even know?"

Finn's resolve returned, "I'm a hero. That's what I do."

"And how many people have you really helped in the past year, Finn?" he laughed, "I've been keeping an eye on you, Finn. You really have potential to be so much more than you are. You should be doing whatever you want, _being_ whatever you want-" he looked at Phoebe.

The glow of the eye over his forehead intensified.

"- and _having_ whatever you want-" he was cut off by a quick blow to his face.

Finn snarled at Set, "You don't look at her like that!"

"Finn," Amun's voice stern, "Don't pick a fight with him!"

Once again, Set's amused laugh echoed in the night, "That was cute, Finn, defending your girlfriend like that. But, I digress."

Amun watched as Set turned back to him and sling the yo-yo once more, "I think I've done enough in terms of introductions. I think I'm gonna go and try to get some more of the relics. There's only four left to get, y'know. Go ahead and keep the cloak. It'll give me a nice challenge."

He went up to Amun and patted his masked face with the backside of his yo-yo hand, "I look forward to seeing how much you've grown in these past years, 'Amun.' Maybe it'll be like old times again."

And with that, he vanished into a cloud of smoke.

When Set was gone, Amun's eyes hardened, "Then, we don't have time to relax."

His breath was still shaking, but his fists were clenched. He continued, "Finn. I'm going to need your help to retrieve these relics before Set can."

Amun looked up at the stars and then to the pair of teens, "If we move now, we can make it to the next sanctum-"

"Amun, I know you wanna get the relics before that guy," Finn started, his fists were also clenched, "But, we're all tired. I can see the bags under your eyes. You haven't slept in days, even before you got to the Fire Kingdom. If we try to go now, we won't get far."

Now, the oldest of them looked down, glaring at the ground. Phoebe pitched in, "Finn's right. We don't want you to cause more harm to yourself than necessary getting these relics."

Wordlessly, and still glaring downward, Amun made his way to the Treefort and sat down next to the door. "Wake me at first light. That's when we leave."

Finn sighed and went over to him, "C'mon. You're not sleeping out here when I've got a perfectly good couch."

But, when the man refused, Finn huffed and made to lift him to his feet by his underarms. Unfortunately, his hand caught in the cloth around Amun's shoulders. As this happened, Amun's eyes widened and his hand flew to keep it pressed to his body. He put a couple feet between himself and the other human, still covering where his mouth was presumed to be. "Don't you get it?" he shouted, "If we don't get these things and keep them away from Set, or better yet, _kill_ Set, the world as we know it will _end_! I don't know what you think this is- a quest or a silly game- but it is neither. This is the fate of Ooo!"

At this point, Jake was drawn outside, "What's goin' on? Finn, y'all okay out here?"

Finn, who was more than a little stunned (as well as Phoebe), nodded, "Yeah, Jake. Let's... Let's just go get some sleep."

"Alrighty," he saw them in, but stopped Finn at the door, "Wait, what about New Guy?"

"He wants to sleep outside," Finn sounded irritated at first, but he then sighed, "Leave the door unlocked, Jake."

The dog nodded to his brother. Later on that same night, Phoebe sat on the couch with Finn. Of course, there was a layer of tin foil beneath her. But that was hardly a problem before, and it still wasn't a problem. It was late into the night and they were hardly awake. Finn drowsily asked, "Can we trust him?

Phoebe's response was slurred with sleep, "I dunno. Whateves you pick, I trust you, Finn."

"Really?"

"Really, really."

Briefly, the pair laughed softly. They were then silent until Finn's breath steadied and he fell into slumber. Phoebe, with one final thought, pondered the fact that she had never slept over at the Treefort.

And the small rock the Finn kept, carefully preserved on the coffee table; the one that had a pair of lip marks scorched into the surface.

* * *

In front of a small fire, a figure sat, slinging a yo-yo up and down. The glow beneath the skin of his forehead was not as bright as before, but Set's mind was elsewhere. He had two of the relics and Amun now had three. Breathing deeply, he mused aloud, "All heroes are corruptible, if you plant a little doubt in 'em. Finn, my friend, you will share my fate or you will suffer his."

Set sunk to the ground from atop the log, lounged against it, and enjoyed the forest noises. His rich voice echoed with a chuckle, "Just a little bit of time. And a little lust."

A series of clicks behind him drew him from his thoughts. Another one of those towering, grey abominations stood hunched over to meet his eyes. It clicked, he responded, "You've found the circlets? Then, we don't need to worry about the amulet. Let them have it.

"I'll just take it from him when the time comes. Who knows? Maybe he'll hand it over and see things my way."

Again, just once more, Set laughed at the future and murmured, "I will bring order to this world, just as the Divine wishes of me."

His available eye closed and the markings vanished, along with the glowing eye, as he slept.

* * *

 _ **IMPORTANT WEIRD NOTES: Sorry if this chapter is shorter than the other chapters, but I'm not so great at in between chapters. And since I didn't want this to merely be filler, I decided to introduce the villain and expand upon what our heroes are facing. Also, apologies if the fluff is a bit lacking. I feel like things would need to go relatively slowly and carefully with these two after what all happened between them. So, next chapter, we dive into the next dungeon. Until then, bye!**_


	6. In Which Amun Meets a Vampire

_**A/N: These chapters just keep coming! We're moving on to the next stage of the plot, so hold onto your hats.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

Finn awoke to a peculiar feeling. It was nice, but he'd never felt anything like it. His eyes opened and he stifled a gasp. The hero was still sitting fairly upright as he'd fallen asleep, but he had the queen in his lap. Phoebe had, at some point in the night, laid down and was currently using his thigh as her pillow.

Out the window, Finn could see that it was still dark, but a brighter blue peaking over the horizon signaled the approaching morn. That's when he noticed, in the chair by the window, Amun sat with his arms and legs crossed. The masked man's head tipped forward and his eyes were closed, his breathing steady. Finn sighed and remembered the man's wishes to leave at first light. As gently as he could manage, he shook Phoebe by the shoulder.

With a sharp inhale, she stirred awake. The fiery girl sat up. Her glow brightened a bit and she spoke groggily, "Morning, Finn."

The Treefort was still, with the quiet of the night not yet broken. "Morning, FP."

Before she could say something else, Finn held up his hand in a "one sec" gesture. The younger human approached Amun's sleeping form. Finn reached for his shoulder to shake him awake, but hesitated. After what had happened between them last night, he opted to avoid any part of the cloth. Instead, he laid a hand on Amun's lower bicep and shook gently.

Amun's eyes opened and he lifted his gaze to meet Finn's, "Finn."

"Hey, Amun- woah, what?" he found himself wrapped in an embrace from the other human.

When the taller man backed away, his hands still on Finn's shoulders, he said, "I apologize for snapping at you and Her Highness last night."

Finn could only blink, and Phoebe walked over, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "No, no, i-it's cool, man," he said, "Let's just forget it happened and get down to this next dungeon."

"Thank you," Amun's eyes smiled at him, "You understand how sensitive my identity is, right?"

"I get that, man."

"Alright," he clapped Finn's shoulders, "Our next target is the Amulet of the being called Bastet. This will be much more difficult to get to than the Nut's cloak."

He turned to Phoebe, "Highness, you've done me a great kindness and I'll always remember it. If you wish to return to your kingdom, you're welcome to. I know you must be a busy young woman."

Phoebe shook her head, "No. Both Finn and I are with you till the end on this. If this concerns the fate of Ooo, that includes my kingdom."

"Very well," he said, "Then, let's be off."

* * *

They now stood outside of a structure that Amun knew all too well. It was a sandstone pyramid. The journey had passed almost instantly, in silence for the most part. While he had been forgiven, Amun felt as though he was unwelcome now. So, he stayed silent and left the conversation to Finn and Phoebe.

What he didn't know was that the two were incredibly silent while walking, only relying on small talk more towards the end of the journey. In the course of the journey, Amun had lead them into a desert area, where the grass tapered off and gave way to the gritty dunes of sand. So, there the pyramid stood, tall and regal. The dryness of the air parched the two humans more so than Phoebe, but it was more bearable than the muggy humidity of the Grasslands. But, even the sandy wind seared their skin.

Once again, Amun dropped to one knee.

He could feel the warm orange gaze upon him. Amun stood, turned to them and finally spoke, "Now, a word of caution. Some of the elders in my village had encountered Bastet themselves. She's supposedly a horrible monster that brings misfortune if she's crossed. If we come across her, don't upset her."

"You got it, Amun," Finn gave a thumbs up.

Phoebe also chimed, "Alright."

"More than likely, we'll have to work our way from the bottom to the top to reach the relic," he continued, "I don't know what awaits us, but we shouldn't have to worry about not being able to get out."

The shade from inside of the pyramid welcomed them. Their relief, however, didn't last very long when they saw the design of the insides. Pillars, narrow walkways, tunnels, and tight spaces of all sorts filled the place. That didn't even include the axes that swung back and for across some of the narrow walks and the unstable rope ladders that were supposed to help one climb up. These obstacles went up until they hit a flat ceiling and went up through a narrow opening that presumably led to the relic.

"Of course," Amun groaned, "Bastet is a cat being. She _would_ have this place built like a cat house."

Finn only smirked, "Aw, yeah. This is totally my element!"

Before any of them could protest, Finn dove in. He climbed up the first ladder onto one of the narrow walks... only to come face to face with a log. Finn had been unaware of the tripwire he had stepped on. Thus was the log sent sailing from its place on the bottom of the walkway above it. He struggled to keep himself up and tried to pivot around the log, only to encounter a pressure plate that shot out flames at him.

He yelped, and while he felt no pain from the flame, he instinctually jumped to the side. Finn sailed over the edge and landed rather harshly in front of Amun and Phoebe. While Finn groaned in pain, Amun was looking down on him with an amused shimmer in his eyes, and Phoebe was hardly holding back her laughter. "Finn," she snorted and further held back a laugh, "You okay?"

"Yeah," he hissed as he turned the wrong way, "We're gonna need some help. I can't maneuver and keep track of all the booby traps at the same time."

Amun cleared his throat, "But, what else can we do?"

"Look!" Flame Princess pointed to the ceiling.

They looked and on the ceiling, right next to the opening to the next floor, was a lever. The fiery monarch continued, "Maybe that's some sort of mechanism to shut everything off?"

"Even so, we'd have to be able to fly to get to that. Or, at the very least, fly to the ladder," Amun said.

"I can fly," Phoebe said.

Finn, who was done brushing himself off, piped in, "Uh, no offense, FP, but I think we need someone who _floats_ more than rockets. And I know just the person. C'mon guys."

* * *

Amun was outside his comfort zone. He could handle monsters, he could handle all sorts of spiritual horrors, and he had cast out evil spirits multiple times. But, the Vampire Queen herself was a thing that he could have gone his whole life without encountering. Amun's mother had told him stories about the vampires that she had killed in her day. Those stories had terrified him and made him hope that he'd never have to see one.

"Th-This vampire, uh, she's their Queen?" he asked.

"More like one of the only ones left," Finn replied, "Marcy was a vampire hunter before she got turned by the vampire king and then ganked him. It's kinda complicated if you think about for too long, so I sorta don't."

"And she drinks... red?"

Finn laughed, "Dude, chill. Marceline's been one of my best friends for about five or six years now. She'd pretty harmless."

But, he paused, then added, "As long as she isn't _too_ hungry."

Amun groaned and they were at the cave. Surprisingly, there was a quaint little house sitting further back into the cave with a white fence and a front yard. Phoebe was just about to knock on the door when Finn's hand came up over hers and lowered it. They both blushed a little before Finn said, "Since it's about noon, it'd be kinda like someone wakin' us up at midnight, so she's gonna be a little cranky."

Flame Princess and Amun nod. Finn knocked on the door, then waited. Some moments passed by before a muffled voice could be heard, "Go away."

"Marcy, it's me; Finn."

A deadbolt clacked and revealed the tired queen herself, floating just above ground level. "There better be a good reason, weenie," she croaked groggily.

Out of nowhere, Finn spoke at the speed of light. He rambled and babbled about Amun, Set, the relics, the dungeons, and how the couch was kinda lumpy on the side he slept on, and how he really wished he could've eaten breakfast before they had left-

"Slow down," the vampire sighed, "Come in."

They came into Marceline's home, one after the other, Amun being the last and most reluctant. He observed her. Marceline was a rather thin looking girl that looked about his age. Her ears were pointed and her skin was grey, an unnatural shade even for a dead human. Her hair was black and cut short into what looked more like a messy attempt at a bob cut.

The vampire queen lounged in the air with her arms crossed over her chest. At the moment she wore a grey tank top with a pair of comfortable-looking black sweatpants. Marceline's red eyes looked skeptically to Finn, "So, what's all this crazy biz you're talking about?"

Slower than Finn, Phoebe went into detail about Amun, the strange masked man who showed up in her kingdom and requested her help. At point,s Amun was asked to fill in holes in the story and Finn threw his own details in. They recounted their run-in with Set, an uncomfortable silence falling on Amun. As they told it, he bowed his head and looked at the ground almost shamefully. "... And now, we can't get through this dungeon we need to get through 'cause it's booby trapped out the whack-hole," Finn wrapped up.

"There's a lever, but it's on the ceiling; more than likely for when you come back down, to deactivate the traps," Phoebe added.

Marceline hummed, "What's in it for me?"

Finn rubbed the back of his hat covered head, "Gee, Marcy... I didn't really think of that. Sorry."

The subtle, vampiric glow from her eyes brightened ever so slightly as she shifted gaze between Finn and Phoebe. "I'll do it. But," she drawled out playfully, "You gotta give me a kiss, Finny."

"Oh, okay," and he planted one on her cheek.

But, she wagged her finger at him, "Nuh-uh. I mean real deal. Lips, hero."

Amun crossed his arms, his eyes shone with joviality. A small chuckle escaped him. Both Finn and Phoebe were both taken by surprise. But, when both came out of it, Finn blushed and Phoebe crossed her arms and looked another direction. She, too, had a burning blush across her face.

And with that, the vampire queen grabbed Finn by the front of his shirt and smashed their lips together. Finn's eyes widened almost impossibly. He pulled away when he felt something slither against his bottom lip. The hero yelped, "What was _that_?!"

Marceline reeled her head back and laughed heartily, "What? You never gotten tongue before, hero?"

"N-No!"

More laughter, "Alright, alright, weenie. Let's go get this necklace and save Ooo again."

And then chuckles from Amun.

* * *

 _ **And there's yet another chapter from me! I hope you enjoy this little somethin-somethin. Until next time, ja-ne!**_


	7. In Which Phoebe is Heckled

_**A/N: I've been pretty scatterbrained since this most recent chapter and I'm not sure why... I might be a little slow with these next updates. And they may be a little shorter than usual. Eventually, thing's will return to normal, I promise**_

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

With the pull of a lever and the _clickity-clank_ of traps and all sorts of devices shutting down, the first level of the dungeon was made safe to navigate by the vampire queen. She floated there, bored, with her arms crossed. Finn, who had recovered from his embarrassing end of the deal with said vampire queen, yelled up, "Thanks, Marcy!"

They climbed and crawled without any hassle until they reached the door, where Marceline replied, "No probs, guys."

The room that the ceiling door opened into was vast. It was also filled with all sorts of gold, jewels, and trinkets. All but Marceline were awed at the sight. She crossed her arms and looked at Amun, with a certain look in her eyes. He met her gaze and snapped out of his stupor, "Alright. No one touch any of these things. The room may be cursed."

Finn, whose blue eyes reflected the treasure's golden shine, shook his head slightly to snap himself out of it. Amun's words had been somewhat muffled, which was strange because the man was right there. He nodded, "Yeah... I know. Hey, FP, you hear that?"

But, she was already closer to one wall of gold, inspecting it deeply. "Man," she sighed, "The things this could do for the kingdom... Huh? What was that, Finn? I didn't quite get that last part."

Phoebe hadn't turned away from the gold.

"FP?" Finn's brow furrowed in concern, "We said that this room is probably cursed and that we shouldn't touch any of the gold."

Barely audible, she murmured a faint, "Yeah... Probably."

Finn moved closer, but cautiously. He could hear her mumbling to herself about the Fire Kingdom. Something about an economic crisis. "Flame Princess?" he continued hesitantly, "If it's money you need... I mean, me and Jake have a whole room full of gold. If it'll help the Fire Kingdom-"

His hand touched her shoulder and tried to pry her gaze from the mound of golden objects. She resisted, so he tried harder. "What're you doing, Finn?" she grunted, "I just wanna look!"

"I think this gold is messing with you!" he countered.

"You're just jealous because it has my _attention_!" which was accented by a sharp slap to Finn's face.

Everyone was still for that moment. Finn looked back at her with shock in his eyes. Next, some forlorn emotion filled them. Phoebe's clouded green eyes brightened and focused. She gasped and covered her mouth, "Oh, my Glob. Finn, I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me."

That same turquoise typhoon raged between their gazes. The soulful looks exchanged, Finn replied, the smile returning to his face, "It's fine, FP. But, if you needed money for the Kingdom, I've got a whole loot room!"

Phoebe said, "Finn, I can't take your money."

" _I'm_ not using it. Might as well give it to you."

"Let's keep moving," Amun said.

Finn left her, shocked, to walk next to Amun. Next thing she knew, Marceline was floating right next to her, an awkward look on her face. It wasn't like the queen to have such a look. She said quietly, "Hey, look, I'm... I'm kinda sorry I kissed Finn like that. I didn't know you two were back together."

Phoebe sputtered and choked on her own spit. "W-What?!" she cried, then hushed her voice, "We're not! We're just friends. Is that what Finn told you?"

"Woah, now," Marceline chuckled again, "He didn't say anything. I only assumed that you two were all cozy with each other again."

The fiery woman crossed her arms, huffing, "Well, we aren't."

Marceline put up her hands in mock surrender. "Okay. But," she leaned herself to whisper, "I hear Finn's _totally_ got the hots for Huntress Wizard."

" _What_?!" Phoebe yelped, a little louder than she would have preferred.

When Amun and Finn stopped and looked back to her and the vampire, her face lit up with a blush, "O-Oh, sorry. Marceline just told me a... a- well..."

Finn smiled, "Okay, FP. Just checkin' to see if you're okay."

They began walking again. The next door was up ahead, not too far. Marceline struggled to stifle her laughter, "Touchy much?"

Blush still heavy on her face, she looked away, "Shut up."

Meanwhile, Amun and Finn carried on their own conversation about adventuring. At first, it was a recounting of the things they'd killed, but devolved into a senseless competition of seeing who had killed more. Obviously, Finn was winning. Amun may have been older, but he hadn't his whole life out in the wilderness of Ooo like Finn had. Finn smirked, "Run out yet?"

"Steel Giant."

"Crystal Dragon."

"Dammit!"

The two shared a laugh, and then they were at the door. The air tensed. All of them seemed to get more serious about the situation and Amun opened the door.

* * *

Outside the pyramid, a yo-yo fell and bounced back up into the hand of Set himself. There was a particularly lazy, bored look on his face which turned to a scowl as a strong breeze ruffled his hair. If only for a moment, he stopped the yo-yo to straighten it. The scowl disappeared with a sigh. Set looked skyward.

"Are you watching, Isis?" he mused aloud, then murmured, "Are you ashamed of me?"

What had brought him here was his insufferable sense of paranoia. Part of him was confident enough to just let him have it. Another part, though, was convinced that Amun had more of the relics, hidden somewhere. Yet another just wanted to hurry up and cleanse the world. He scoffed at his own logic and entered.

The place was silent. But, then there was a resounding " _What_?!" coming from directly above. Through all the deactivated traps, he saw a door on the ceiling. A crooked grin swept across Set's face. _So, they're here after all._

Figuring that he had no need to rush, he meandered through the traps and tunnels and across the narrow beams and walks. Shortly, he came to the ladder to the door. And he walked through the room of treasures unfazed. Set came to the door and he could feel Amun's presence.

And he opened the door.

* * *

 _ **Terribly sorry that this chapter is not just short, but that it's half the size of my normal chapters. I've been struggling with ideas for the story and I don't want to force anything. Right now, we're looking at a fight next chapter and some more conflict between Amun and Set. How will it turn out? No idea. **_

_**Not even I know, haha. So, until then, see you guys on the flipside!**_


	8. In Which a Goddess Flirts with Everyone

_**A/N: This time, the chapter is going to be normal sized, I swear!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

The first thought to cross Amun's mind was somewhere along the lines of, _Who the hell's that?_

It was in reference to the woman currently lounging in a hammock about thirty feet off the ground. Not _thirteen_ , thirty. Ever cautious, he extended his arm out, saying, "Stop," then calling out, "You! Who are you?"

The woman perked up at this and called back lackadaisically, "Who am I? Who are _you_?"

She lazily rolled out of the hammock and fell gracefully on her feet. Her skin was bronze in hue and without blemish. A long, white skirt came down over her knees and covered her exceptionally wide hips. Her arms, shoulders, and midriff were all exposed, leaving her rather large bust covered by a white wrapping of the same material as her skirt. But, from the neck up, black fur covered her.

Short, black fur covered her very feline-structured head. Her ears were catlike and her eyes were large, wide orbs of forest green. But, she had hair down to her mid back, black as night, even darker than her fur. As they all stared, a black tail swished out from behind her. The cat woman sauntered toward Amun with a distinct swing in her hips and look in her eyes.

 _Oh, Divine, I know that look_. " _I_ am Bastet," she said, then pointed a finger into his chest, "And _you_ look absolutely _scrumptious_."

Amun raised an eyebrow, "So, _you're_ Bastet?"

A finger turned into a whole hand caressing his lower chest. Bastet purred, "Why, yes, I am. Care to... _Get to know_ me?"

"Married. Sorry," he said flatly.

"Boo," she said, but turned her gaze to Finn, "But, check out door number two~."

But, she felt the burning glare from Phoebe. She only smiled wider. "You're a bit easy on the eyes, yourself," she practically threw herself on Finn, "Who might you be?"

Finn, in a brilliant moment of sexual inability, said, "I'm Finn, the Hero of Ooo! We're here for some relic, so y'know where we can find it?"

Amun's hand came up to meet his face. Bastet merely cocked a brow and giggle. "Oh, really, now? I'm the guardian of this place, you know. So, if you want it," she backed up from him and grinned at the group, "You'll have to beat me in a game."

"A game?" Amun echoed.

"Well, now, I do love a good game."

The whole group turned to see Set, one eye closed and a new glowing one on his forehead. His smirk never left his face, even when Bastet's face turned to a scowl. "Oh, don't look at me like that, guys," the yo-yo bounced, "I'm not here to take the amulet. At least, not at the moment. I'm such a pancake with decisions."

Set let out a brief chuckle of amusement. He turned to the vampire queen, "Oh my, it seems you've gotten more help. Surprised Bedhead let you keep a vampire around."

Once again, the yo-yo, "Y'know, it might just be because she's a looker. Maybe."

For a second or two, Set idly toyed with the yo-yo in his hand. Amun was glaring holes into the back of his head. And while it didn't scare him or unnerve him, he decided not to push things. "So, what's this game of yours, Lady Bastet?" Set asked, still smirking.

" _You_ will speak no longer," her scowl had seeped into her voice, "Your aura reeks."

Set shrugged, "It's true. You'd reek too if you hadn't showered in a while. Actually, that reminds me, I need to get the plumbing-"

" _Silence_."

His yo-yo ceased and his arms went up in mock surrender. His smirk hadn't left. Bastet turned to Amun, "The game, for those interested, is to hit me."

"That's it?" Finn asked.

"That's it," she responded, "One-on-one combat, no weapons. If you can land a single punch, kick, or- if you're feeling frisky -headbutt on me, you can have my amulet."

Set's eye widened in some sort of sick delight, "Ooh, can I play too?"

He was ignored.

His hand went to the scepter dangling at his side. Set's crooked grin widened further, "I'll take that as a yes!"

Set lunged with the scepter outstretched. Its eyes glowed a ghostly green color, but the color suddenly faded and he was frozen mid-flight. Bastet's clawed hand was stretched out. She didn't even look at him as he was released, "Oh, and I almost forgot, whatever relics you have, I can negate their effects. This is _hand-to-hand_ combat."

"Okay," Amun nodded, "Then, I'll lighten my load."

He reached up under the cloth and clicked something just below his collarbone. The relic sword on his back sagged as the leather straps slackened. "This is one on one, so Marceline, if you would hold this."

"Sure, dude," she did so, then smirked, "Just don't go all out too soon, I'd kinda like to go toe-to-toe with a goddess."

Amun looked to her, "We'll see. Finn, Highness, keep an eye on Set. Don't try to fight him, just keep your eyes open."

Phoebe and Finn exchanged glances and nodded to him. Suddenly, Set was behind them. He wrapped his arms around them, grinning like they were all friends of his, "Oh, stop it, 'Amun'," the name was still sarcastic on his lips, "I'm not gonna hurt _kids_. Divine's sake, I have standards."

"That wasn't the case in my village," Amun turned away and walked to face Bastet.

"Ouch," he looked between Finn and Phoebe, "What's got into him?"

Finn wriggled out from under his arm, Phoebe following suit, "What the heck is wrong with you, you freak? We _know_ that you killed everyone in his village."

"And I know that I told you not to believe him," Set shrugged, "Now, let's sit and watch the show."

"Like we're gonna sit anywhere near _you_ ," Phoebe snapped.

Set sighed and brought up the scepter. Its eyes glowed, and shortly after, the others' did, too. "I said, 'Sit. Down,'" his grin still in place, he sat down, and Finn and Phoebe sat at either side.

Both of them stared forward blankly. Marceline floated above them, warily. She brought her bass forward, ready to come down on Set's skull just in case he tried anything.

"You'll have to forgive that one," Amun said to Bastet, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "He's a got a small case of complete insanity and pure evil."

Completely oblivious to what had just been said, Set called out, "Kick him in the balls."

Bastet nodded, "I see. I appreciate your respect. It's such a shame you're taken," she gave him a predatory look, "Ooh, I'd _love_ to rock your world."

Amun chuckled, then dropped into a stiff combat stance, "It can't be helped, I suppose."

The cat lady barely folded her arms under her bust. There was no stance, nor was there any air of tension about her. Only the confidence of millennia's worth of victories. "When you're ready," she purred.

"Okay, then," Amun replied.

They walked a circle, gazes locked. A minute passed. The circle grew tighter. As they were getting to be arms' lengths away from each other, Set grew impatient. Suddenly, he growled and cried, "Fight!"

Amun quickly jabbed at Bastet's face twice, both were dodged. She vaulted over him. He turned to face her, only to meet the back of her hand. It sent him reeling for a second or two, but he recovered. Bastet made no move toward him, or to attack in any way.

The being stood there, waiting for his next move. So, Amun charged again, and tried his hand at a flurry of fists. He put every ounce of his speed into it, but every strike was dodged. Finally, after maybe five minutes of the same cycle, Amun growled loudly and drove a powerful left hook right into the palm of Bastet's hand.

The buxom beauty clamped down on the fist and pulled. She ended up tossing Amun up into the air. He righted himself mid-flight and landed right in front of Set, who was still smirking. When Amun went to charge her again, Bastet sighed. As soon as he was in range, she reeled her leg back and launched it right in between the man's legs.

Dead silence.

A small squeak came from Amun as he sank to his knees, grasping at his crotch. Marceline even cringed a little in empathy for the man. Set howled in laughter, slapping his knee, "Oh my Divine, she actually kicked him in the balls!"

Ignoring him, Bastet looked a bit remorseful, "Sorry, darling, but you were _awfully_ slow for my taste. Maybe one of your friends is faster?"

She got a tiny squeak, then she was surprised when Amun managed himself to his feet. A little wobbly, he got into a boxing stance, "I... I could do this all day."

So, the fight went on. Amun kept punching, Bastet kept dodging. This went on and Bastet was kept counterattacking him. But, each strike was a blow to his jewels. And with each blow to his gonads, he slowed down more, until finally, he was beaten back.

Panting heavily, Amun groaned, "S-She keeps kickin' me in the dick... Why? _Why_ does she keep kickin' me in the dick?"

Set was bellowing with laughter. Marceline hovered down next to Amun, "Dude, that's rough. Tag out?"

"Sure," he responded.

Strange; his voice was a bit higher than usual. Marceline leaned her ax bass on Amun, who was still hunched over, and floated in front of Bastet. "Ooh~," she purred, "You don't look too bad yourself, either."

Marceline scoffed, then chuckled, "Sorry, kitty. Taken."

She sighed in disappointment, "Is everyone here taken?"

Set went to raise his hand, but Bastet quickly added, "Don't answer that."

And the fight resumed.

Meanwhile, Finn and Phoebe were snapping out of whatever trance the scepter had put them in. Finn groaned and put a hand to his head. Phoebe merely shook her head, sending the flaming wisps of her hair slowly following. Then, they noticed Set in between them.

They scooted behind him and closer together. Finn watched Marceline try and fail, even with flight on her side, to land a hit on Bastet. There was an interesting spin move that she did that looked like a combination of breakdancing and kicking that almost hit, but nothing beyond almost. "Alright," Finn stood up.

Marceline was huffing and puffing as her attacks kept coming. What she didn't see was Finn running up behind her. And with a brief moment, Finn had used her shoulder for his hand to grab onto as he flipped over her and cried, "Tag out!"

Finn jabbed with his left arm, all of them were dodged, but he followed up with a heavy right hook that just barely missed. Bastet's eyes widened. Finn began using his legs. He jabbed with his leg a time or two then rotated into a roundhouse kick. Bastet ducked to the side and under them.

Set's eyes narrowed on him, and his grin grew.

Bastet leapt back to put distance between them. Her widened eyes disappeared as she composed herself. That look reflected in her eyes once again, "You must be some pretty hot stuff, Finny."

"I'm the Hero of Ooo," his brow furrowed, he kept his stance and smirked, "I'm in my element."

"Then, let's dance, big boy."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Annnnnnnnnd there we go. Woo! Things are heatin up aren't they? What's in store for the battle. Will Set join in? Will Phoebe? Or will something else happen? These are the real questions, people. So, until then, ja ne!_**


	9. In Which Finn And Phoebe Catch Up

_**A/N: My, my, things seem to be heating up, kukuku~**_

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

There was barely time for anyone to breath before the onslaught came. Finn charged at Bastet, full force. Punches were thrown, kicks were tossed, and there's was a headbutt that missed by a mile, but he had to try it sometime. Bastet made an offhand comment that sounded something along the lines of, "Darling, you can't give me a head, but I can give _you_ one."

It flew right over his head, but Amun's jaw dropped and he blanched a little.

Minutes passed. But, Finn's hat was becoming more and more unbearable by the second. Finally, he tugged it from his head and quickly tossed it aside. Sweat beaded on his forehead and made his golden locks stick to it. He panted.

It was getting harder to keep up and he knew it. _If there was just a way to keep her from dodging, I could land a hit on her._ And that's when it hit him. Finn smirked and sprinted forward. On the other side of the battle, Bastet was amazed.

This boy was giving her the challenge of the century. It was refreshing and it made her wonder if he might be a Guardian. Bastet had gotten the idea that whoever this Amun mortal was, he was a Guardian for sure. But, this Finn the Hero? Perhaps...

The next round came. They had been fighting for the past fifteen minutes and Guardian or not, he was tired. So much so that when he struck, she decided it was time to have a little fun. Bastet leapt up on top of Finn's head and pushed off.

 _There it is!_

Finn turned and pushed off the ground. When he tried to strike her in mid air, she grabbed him up by the wrist and chucked him past her into the air. Finn smirked. Outstretching his hand, a small green thorn turned into a vine and that vine sped to catch Bastet. She gasped as the green tendril wrapped around her waist. Her eyes nervously flickered from the vine about her waist to Finn, "... Kinky...?"

Finn grasped the vine and growled out, "Get over here!"

With a mighty pull, Bastet sped towards Finn. Finally, Finn's fist was driven right into her stomach. Silence fell over them all. An awestruck, open mouthed smile grew across Set's face as a single word slithered across his mind, _Magnificent..._ Bastet was sent hurtling towards the ground.

However, she quickly composed herself and landed on her feet. Finn landed as well, but his breathing shook, his body shook. The adrenaline was leaving his system. Bastet's lips pursed into a pout and she rubbed her stomach. "You could should've been gentler giving a lady like me your fist in such a manner, Finny," she whined cutely.

Cutely and full of innuendos that flew right over Finn's head.

"What?" he was still steadying his breath, "But, being gentle isn't part of fighting."

Bastet laughed as, out of the corner of her eye, she could see the purple one shake his head and the fire elemental fume. "You're too much, Finny."

Then, slow clapping filled the room. "Impressive," Set chimed as he arose from his sitting.

Marceline hovered above, Phoebe behind. "I daresay you were marvelous, Finn," the yo-yo was slung again.

Amun went for his sword, "Back off, Set. You're outnumbered and outclassed."

"Am I?"

"Are you?"

"I believe I'm a league my own," Set smirked and added, "Is that too pompous of me to say? I mean, 'league of my own' is so generic and-"

" _Shut up_!" Amun rose his voice, "I'll end you!"

In the blink of an eye, Set was next to amun, an arm draped around his shoulder. "You'll die trying."

The arm came off Amun's shoulder and Set shrugged. "Not that I really care right now. It's really been an eventful day for me. So, if you'll excuse me," he crossed his arms and a faint golden aura surrounded him, "I must be going. Ta."

And as the aura dispersed, so did his body, leaving an empty space. Amun's hand still gripped the handle of his sword, white-knuckled. His body shook, and his eyes glared at the air. Silence for a moment as the occupants of the room spectated the man. Finally he caved, letting a harsh yell rip from his throat, "Dammit! I should've just cut him down!"

Bastet could sense something in him far deeper than his hatred of the corrupted man. Something akin to regret and longing. She felt pity, "He was far stronger than you. You were prudent in letting him go."

Finn's hand clasped onto his shoulder, "We'll get him next time."

Amun didn't calm so easily, "And why didn't he go for the amulet? Dammit, does he have more than I thought?"

A brief thought crossed his mind. _The Lantern!_ "Fuck!" he cried, "He might have the Lantern! Dammit, dammit, shit!"

Bastet cocked her head to the side, " _The_ Lantern? Anubis'?"

"Yes!" he barked, "That's why he was so smug! He must already have the majority of the relics."

"We need to check the other dungeons," he continued, "And fast. We have to make sure he doesn't actually have the lantern."

"So I was right."

"Hm?"

Bastet smiled a sincere smile, "You are a Guardian."

Amun gave her a puzzled look. He took a deep breath. He nodded, "The last."

"Then you have my support," she said.

Not surprisingly, from the cloth covering her breasts, she pulled an amulet, "This is my amulet. Use it well and defend the world. Should you need my guidance, wear it and meditate. I shall come."

The amulet was placed in his hand. He placed it in his pocket. Amun gave a short nod before a glint of mischief crossed his visible features, "Oh, you'll _cum_ , huh? Didn't I already tell you I'm a married man?"

A small giggle bubbled from Bastet before she said, "All the more reason for me to try, darling."

She turned to walk away, "Hopefully, I'll be seeing you around soon. _Especially_ you, Finny."

Phoebe huffed, "C'mon, guys, let's go."

Marceline chimed, "Yeah, I'm beat."

They were already exiting the room when Finn started to catch up to them. Amun watched Bastet leap back into her hammock and lounge. With a sigh, his gaze shifted downward. And he turned around and walked out of the room. They exited her pyramid.

* * *

And, boy, were they tired. Not just physically, but mentally. Amun walked with the funny limp, his legs a bit further apart than they needed to be. Marceline actually sported a few bruises, and Finn himself had pulled a muscle when he had grabbed up Bastet the way he did. It bothered him only slightly.

It wasn't anything that he hadn't already had done to him. And Phoebe was more concerned with those comments that that so-called goddess had made towards Finn. There was a funny feeling in her stomach every time she thought about Finn doing any of those lewd things with Bastet, and it made her angry. That feeling only grew with time as they walked. All of those things couldn't have flown right over his head.

As the the Treefort came into sight and Marceline bade them farewell, she sighed. _I need to be above this. I am a queen with much more to think about than some innuendos made to my ex-boyfriend,_ she thought. The trio funneled in, and Finn was left with a note from Jake. It covered that Jake was at Lady Rainicorn's.

She was very ill and he would be taking care of her. Phoebe tuned them out. Amun had sat himself down in a plush chair. Why he didn't take off that mask of his to sleep only made her warier of him. There was definitely some plot holes in what he is and isn't telling them.

Perhaps Set was the key to getting the whole truth out of him? But, manipulating someone like that, even the thought, tugged at her conscience. Soon enough, the man was asleep. A hand rested on her shoulder. It was Finn.

Firelight reflected off of the golden wristlet. He asked, "Are you hungry?"

"No," she answered, "Thank y-"

And her stomach grumbled loudly. Phoebe's cheeks glowed with a flush that made Finn chuckle. "Be careful," he teased, "You'll break your own law."

She almost took it personally, had it not been for the lighthearted smile that she had seen so many times.

It felt nice to be the cause of it again.

A small smile crossed her face as her emerald eyes flickered toward the kitchen, "What do you have?"

"Well," he crossed his arms in thought, "I don't think I have anything you can drink, but I keep a stock of charcoal for wandering fire elementals."

Finn laughed, "You'd be surprised how many grass fires Jake and I gotta put out."

The flame monarch shook her head, "My people are only slightly more competent than the candy people. But... I want the best for 'em, y'know?"

"I get that," Finn said softly, "I'm like that for the innocents of Ooo. I never want to let them down. And I don't wanna let PB or the other princesses down. I don't want to let _you_ down. At least, no more than I already have."

"Finn, you know I forgive you, right?" she asked, "Everyone makes mistakes. We're both pretty much adults now. I mean, we can both move past that, right?"

He couldn't meet her eyes, "Yeah... I suppose we can."

There was an uneasy air that Phoebe wanted to disperse. So, as they moved further back into the kitchen, a glance at the sleeping Amun gave her an idea. "Uh, so- erm- how hard was it to get him to actually sleep this time?" she asked.

"Not very, actually," he pulled some half burnt wood from beneath the pantry cabinets, "But, he insists that we leave before the sun rises."

She groaned and gratefully took the wood, "This guy's always going."

"I know how he feels, though," Finn leaned on the counter.

Phoebe was caught mid-nibble, so she gave a puzzled hum. "This is how it goes when all of Ooo is on the line. A lot of work and not a lot of rest," he chuckled, "We'll both be hurtin' by the end of this."

"I'll bet."

Silence.

"What'd you think of Bastet?" Finn asked.

"I could ask you the same."

"Well, she's certainly got a personality on her," he said.

Phoebe rolled her eyes, "Yeah."

"What, do you not like her?" Finn had a strange look of confusion on his face.

"No," she answered abruptly, "I just think that her choice of words is crude and inappropriate."

An amused chuckle escaped Finn's lips, "Inappropriate? We're, like, seventeen, FP."

"Well, still! I mean... It's just-" Phoebe quickly shoved the rest of her food in her mouth and crossed her arms.

Finn laughed hard at the sight. She didn't expect him to understand. He was wise to the ways of the world in all ways except sex. Part of her wished she were still that way. But, being the ruler of her country, she couldn't remain ignorant as she once was.

At the same time, seeing Finn laugh in such a way... and seeing how far he'd come as a person, she felt a twinge in her chest that she hadn't felt there in a while. Phoebe smiled at the feeling.

* * *

 _ **GOD THIS TOOK SO LONG I AM SO SORRY! BUT FEAR NOT! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS (not really), SHALL BE DILIGENT AS EVER TO ENSURE THAT THIS STORY CONTINUES TO THRIVE! NYEH HEH HEH!**_

 _ **so, til next time. see ya round**_


	10. In Which Set Saves a Horse

**Chapter 10**

Another sleepless night.

The sun peeked over the horizon and straight into his eyes. With an annoyed groan, he squinted against the morning. And it suddenly lit up the landscape, as far as the eye could see. Orange and red sunlight blazed across the grassy plains and stained the sky. The stars were now dim in the new light of the sun, barely visible.

He rubbed his face. It hadn't been a pleasant night. Nor had his experience at the palace of Bastet been. With a curse, Set stood and checked the pocket of his coat. The once large bag had shrunk and shrunk until it was hard to tell that it even held anything inside.

It was a grey, sooty material. And when mixed with water imbued with the powers of magic, whatever one created would come to life. Set took barely a handful, which depleted half of what he had left. When the bag was sealed and placed safely back into his coat, his free hand went to his water skin. As his hand moved away from the hole, so followed the water, gripped in his magic.

Soot in one hand, water hovering above the other, Set closed his eyes. The lines round his left thickened and extended until the markings returned. When it opened, the glowing eye on his forehead appeared once more. His now golden eye peered down at the soot. And again he cursed.

It was a unique creation. _Only Marik knew how to make this stuff... and I'm almost all out._ Then, Set let the water surround his hand. He swirled the water until it resembled molding clay, then began shaping. Set shaped it into a crude, bird looking abomination.

He'd never been much of an artist. Set removed his hand from the creature and it solidified. When it looked up to him suddenly, he said, "Bring me the circlets."

And it flew away. With a sigh, his eye closed and the markings faded. Set's eyes opened again, which mirrored the summer sky. There weren't any clouds. _I must move forward._ _Regardless of his pace. And I know just where to go._

Barely a few miles away, a shore separated the land from the sea. Set made his way toward it. The expanse of the sea amazed and soothed him to his core. But, at the same time, it filled him with unwanted memories of the past. And unwanted emotion.

With a sigh, the small, blue yo-yo rested in his hand once more. He muttered to himself, "Might as well get started," and stepped out onto the water.

At a rather leisurely pace, Set walked atop the ocean, slinging the yo-yo mindlessly. It would be a while before he got to where he wanted to go. _It's fine, though... I must give him time to get the lantern. Once he has what he wants, he'll have no qualm with me anymore._ But, dammit, if these memories wouldn't leave him alone!

They all came too fast, like a blur. A woman in the desert, an argument... He had grabbed for a glass bottle and swung it. Set staggered, making sure to maintain his balance. "Dammit..."

One eye closed and his Eye returned, and with it, the euphoric apathy for this world. _I can't falter here. My mission shall come to a close soon and then life will return to normal._ He kept walking, his troubling thoughts now pushed to the back of his mind by the weight of ancestral intellect and experience. Sweet relief that he relished in.

Slowly, the orange blaze dancing on the water glimmered with the late morning, and then finally faded into blue as the sun rose higher and higher into the sky. Set had pondered intently the idea of using the rest of the magic soot to make something to fly him to his destination, but decided not to waste the last of his supplies on laziness. Relief filled his senses when he began to be able to see the ocean floor. Sunbathed sand parted beneath his feet. The shore stretched either way, as far as he could see.

To the left, cliff faces. To the right, lush, verdant forests. Both his eyes opened, bliss parted from him. _Best not to give away my intent just yet_ , he thought. Set headed to the forests.

It wasn't thick as he'd imagined it being. In fact, as he saw, there was a well-worn path to the shore just ahead. Set made his way to it and head left down the path. Set had always favored the sandy dunes of his home over the vines and thorns of the forests. Grunts varying in volume escaped his lips as he swiped branches away from his face.

But, mere minutes from leaving the shore, he hears grunts not his own. Set froze in place and lowered himself. It was the voice of a child. The faint clash of steel rang out, too. He made his way through the brush and fallen leaves.

The wood line gave way to a grassy hilltop overlooking one of the cliffs above the beach. "Shit," Set hissed.

It _was_ a kid. A human kid, and he was fighting a thestral. The boney abomination had him cornered against the cliff edge. The boy was being inched closer to the edge. Set was forced into action.

As he leapt forward, the boy fell over the edge with a shriek of fear. Set reached out with his power and grabbed up the as much ocean water as he could. The water caught the boy just a few feet from where he had fallen. The thestral turned its hungry gaze to Set. It made its way toward Set slowly.

That gave him the opportunity to push the boy back onto solid ground. "Hey there, fella," his voice was calm and smooth, "You must be pretty hungry to be going after humans, am I right?"

The thestral cocked its head slightly, as if to understand what Set had just said. The ocean water was rising up over the cliff face at Set's command. Suddenly, multiple fish were being funneled into the very end of the water shaft. The fish were dumped in front of the equine creature. It's attention was captured.

It sniffed them cautiously. Never breaking eye contact with it, Set made a 'come hither' motion to the boy. All the while, he spoke, "Yeah... I understand being hungry, fella-"

The thestral glared at him and whinnied. Set's look turned confused, "What? Are you not a fella?"

The answer he received was a nicker. "Fine, fine," he then mumbled, "Smartass, intelligent, glue makin' bitch."

Set sighed and turned to the boy, "You alright, kid?"

The boy in question was on his ass, staring at the thestral, shaking, "Kill it!"

She looked up at him and glared. Set seemed to notice. He sighed, "No."

"Why not?" the kid growled, "It deserves it anyway!"

" _She_ was just hungry," Set then looked down on the boy, narrowing his eyes, "Who are you, and what are you doing out here in _her_ forest?"

"My name's Howell. Killing her was supposed to be my trial-" Howell's hand suddenly flew up to his mouth.

Set merely raised an eyebrow, "You're training to be a guardian."

"You know about them?"

His eyes rolled. _This boy... is terrible at keeping secrets._ "Of course, stupid," Set said, "I'm a scholar from the southeast. My village's guardians have become inadequate and I am to study in other communities to create better training methods. Your village 'round here, Howell?"

Howell got up off the ground. "Yeah," he began struggling to fix his mess of black hair into a tight topknot, "Follow me."

As they were making their way to the wood line, Set felt something nudge him. It was the thestral. "You got your food, I didn't kill you, what else could you want?"

Her eyes, an unusually clear blue for a thestral, flickered between the two and she nickered. Set deadpanned, "You're not coming with us."

Howell snapped around, "Like hell she is!"

She gave Howell a tired look. It screamed _'You tried to kill me, I almost ate you. Get over it.'_ Howell turned back around with a huff, crossing his arms. "Come on, mister scholar. Let's just go."

The thestral nudged Set again, looking into his eyes hopefully. He paused, hesitated. It was already over. Under his breath, he muttered, "Fuck me..." then louder, "Alright, Thestral, come on with us. Hopefully his villagers won't kill you as soon as they see you. That would suck."

She gave what he could only guess was a smirk. Gleefully, she trotted up next to Howell and gazed down at him. "Shut up," he said without looking.

The three of them made their way into the forest. Set hid a satisfied smirk as Howell took them to the well-worn trail he had been on before. He'd have found them with or without the kid's help. From the pocket of his coat, he produced his yo-yo. Up and down it went, Set took in some much needed fresh air.

Still, he couldn't reveal his guardian status to this child. At least, not yet, and only if the conditions are just right. At the same time, heaviness filled his heart. It was annoying. _It's all for the Divine; just a little longer and everything can be normal again._

It was all he ever told himself these days. But, as many times as he reassured himself of it, he still doubted. Thankfully, Howell pulled him from his thoughts. "So, why'd you let her live?" he asked.

Set kept yo-yoing as he answered, "As a guardian, your job is not to conquer nature, nor is it to immerse yourself in it. You know your place _in_ nature and you exist in that place, peacefully. Some animals must die for food or supplies, others must be helped. This thestral was merely following that order. Y'see, sometimes, nature needs to be given a little instead of taking so much."

"So..." poor Howell was trying to wrap his head around it, "A guardian is supposed to... help animals?"

"No. It's far deeper than that. You'll realize your purpose before the end of your life."

A pause from Howell before he asked, "Who are you?"

"Call me Set," he replied.

"Like the god?"

"Yes. Like the god," he allowed a breathy chuckle and returned to silently slinging his yo-yo up and down.

The leaves made for good white noise as they were tossed to and fro by the wind. When had it become this windy? There weren't any birdsongs floating in the air, which was odd for this time of the year. But, if this place was the place Set was hoping it was, he'd expect no less. As the afternoon went by, clouds drifted in and quickly blocked the sun.

Set glared up at the sky and silently prayed that they'd get to Howell's village before any rain fell. Soon, blurred building tops came into sight, surrounded by a wooden wall. When they approached it, it was easily more than twice even the Thestral's height. Either side of the massive gates had guard towers with men looking down at them. "Howell, who's this wi-" he caught sight of the Thestral, "Divine save us! _Howell Ross Jenkins_ , what the hell have you brought that thing back here for?!"

Before Howell himself could answer, Set cut in, "I'm a scholar from the far eastern desert village of Kh'al. I stopped him from killing this Thestral."

"And why would you intervene?"

"He was going to be killed. Furthermore, I'm here to study your practices," Set responded.

The man up in the tower eyed Set cautiously, then made a motion to someone behind him. The gates opened up, dragging the ground noisily as it went. Awaiting just beyond it was a young woman, her piercing brown eyes set straight on Howell. She had darker skin than either of them. Set's thoughts were along the lines of, _Shit! What tanning bed does she go to?_

She walked up to them, and somehow managed to ignore Set completely. This woman had clearly never heard of a haircut. She had black hair, like Howell's, that went all the way down to her ass. It may have been longer, but it was in a complex French braid. One look at the Thestral and her eyes were on Howell in a look that screamed, 'Seriously?'

Howell twiddled his thumbs, stuttering, "I'm sorry, Rose... once you feed her, she's... kinda nice, I guess."

Finally, this Rose spoke, "That's not the point. When it's _hungry_ , it's one of the fiercest beasts in the world. _You_ were supposed to prove yourself by killing it."

"And how, might I ask," Set spoke now, "Is he to prove himself to be a guardian if he's trained to simply kill everything in his path?"

Rose narrowed her eyes, "If we can't kill anything worth a shit, we'll be killed ourselves."

 _Ooh, I like her._ "Interesting logic. Flawed, but interesting no less," he held out his hand, "I am Set. Who might you be."

She took it and shook, "Rose."

"Say," Set looked around, "Is there an inn where I can stay? I'll be here for a while."

"No," she said.

He chuckled uneasily, "Well- erm- what about some sort of accommodation?"

"No."

Set stopped slinging the yo-yo. "Then, what am I to do until my business is done?" his eyes narrowed.

Rose fired back, "And what _is_ your business here?"

A sneer spread across Set's face, and he crossed his arms. There was static in the air as they stared each other down. "Perhaps," he said, "If you would accommodate me, I could tell you."

His smile widened as Rose looked ready to kill him. Howell, who seemed to be only a little shorter than her, laid a hand on her shoulder, "He saved my life. Please, it's only right."

Rose faced him, "He's set dishonor on our family by interfering with your trial!"

"And you'd rather me dead?" he snapped.

Both of them paused. "One week," she turned to the gatekeepers, "Kill the Thestral."

Set frowned, "To the stables. She's an innocent animal-"

"That almost killed my brother," Rose said.

Set continued, "Because you people were starving her."

Rose's hand met with her face as she sighed, "Are you willing to take responsibility for it?"

The thestral made her way to his side, warily eying them all. Set laid a hand on her side, "Chill out. She's a horse, not a friggin' kid."

Nothing else was said. Rose just turned and started walking. Howell followed, and Set soon left the thestral in the hands of the gatekeepers to follow. The walk was short, their home being not far from the gates. Rose ushered Howell into the house and shut the door behind him.

Her eyes bored into him, "I don't know what your game is, but you're not a scholar."

Set, in a rare moment of sincerity, placed his hands on her shoulders. "Rose, I can't tell you here and now," he flashed his Eye to her, "But, please trust me. I'm on a mission that requires some... espionage."

Rose, a startled look on her face, nodded.

* * *

 _ **My God, I am so sorry for how long this took. But, I ran into trouble properly introducing this new setting and hit a wall for a while. A good friend who took the time to read and get invested in this story helped me write and even designed Rose, so you can thank her for getting me out of my funk. Next chapter we'll be seeing more of Amun and co. Until then, ja ne!**_


	11. In Which Old Friends Make Tea

**Chapter 11**

"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" Amun punched the stone wall blocking their way in, "It moved!"

Amun, Phoebe, and Finn stood on the outskirts of the Fire Kingdom, at the entrance to a cave. But, it looked more like someone carved a cave opening into the side of a mountain. It was solid rock a foot or two through the opening. "What d'you mean it moved?" Finn asked.

It was hot out by human standards, and a lot of the greenery had thinned out. The sky was turning a deep shade of orange. Amun laid his head against the wall, then slid to his knees. "The keep of the Lantern moves every two weeks. It's an ancient spell put on it to keep it safe, hundreds of years ago by the first guardians. So. It. _M_ _oved_."

Finn came up beside Amun, "It's gonna be alright, Amun. I promise. We'll keep looking and-"

"No."

"What?" Finn cocked an eyebrow.

Returning to his feet, Amun heaved a sigh. He turned to face both Finn and Phoebe, "I've kept you both from your lives and duties."

None of them spoke for a while. Finn's mind was racing. Was he ever going to see Amun again? What if he needed help again and couldn't get to them in time? Finn searched Amun's eyes for some way to work around this.

What if Amun _died_ because he wasn't there? How could he insist on this? And his mind screeched to a halt with the gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked into Phoebe's eyes. There was this look, and it was firm and comforting at the same time.

She was right. They had lives that couldn't be put on hold for too much longer, and Amun could handle himself better than the common damsel. Finn nodded to her and tried his best to smile. He turned back to Amun, "Yeah. It's better this way."

As for Amun, his eyes softened and they smiled at Finn. "Finn, I promise you, I will contact the both of you when I find it. I'll be moving as fast as I can," he then chuckled, "Divine's mercy, this is gonna be tedious."

For someone who was mostly stoic, the break in Amun's character seemed to lift their spirits. "But, y'know," Amun said, "I can escort you guys back to the Fire Kingdom."

Finn scoffed playfully, "'Escort'? Man, how many times have we saved your sorry butt?"

They began walking. Phoebe tagged in, "I'm _literally_ sentient fire-"

"-and you're afraid of the rain," Finn finished.

"Shut up!"

Their conversation wandered far from the treacherous trek they'd made up to then as they walked. Any green plants died off, replaced by charcoal black and orange fauna. The sky was fully orange and cloudless. By the time they reached the palace, the sun was dipping low in the sky, just above the horizon. It was a reddish-orange deeper than any flame.

"So, you'll get us when you find it, right?" Finn asked.

Amun replied, "I promise."

He was taken by surprise when Finn hugged him. "We haven't known each other for long," he began, "But, we're human. Aside from Jake, you're the closest thing to family I got."

Finn backed out of the hug, "So, don't you die trying to find that dungeon."

With a two finger salute, Amun began to disappear in a golden vapor, "Don't worry."

And, just like that, he was gone. "So, Finn," Phoebe began awkwardly, "I know we've kinda spent the last, like, three days together, but... do you wanna come in? Get something to drink or...?"

"Yeah!" Finn said, maybe a little too quickly, "Uh, but don't you guys drink, like, lava or whatever?"

Phoebe blushed, "Oh... I suppose we do. I, erm, sometimes forget that humans drink water."

There was a pause. Finn was unsure of where to go from here. If there was nothing to drink, then was there a reason for him to be there? If he had this little bracelet thing, could he drink lava? Suddenly, Phoebe snapped her fingers, "I drink tea occasionally. Come on, follow me."

Sighing in relief, Finn readily followed her into the palace. As they walked the long entrance hall, the young fire elemental spoke, "There's a root that grows near the mouths of volcanos that brings up the boiling points of water."

"Uh..." Finn raised an eyebrow, as science was never a strong suit of his.

"So, that means we can heat the water to a point where it's drinkable as tea. Except, to us, it's more like drinking something extremely cold," she finished.

Finn mouthed an understanding 'oh', but before he could respond, Cinnamon Bun's voice cut in, "Your Highness! You're back."

He arose from the throne and met them where they were. Phoebe hugged the candy man closely, "I hope the kingdom is in high spirits despite my absence."

"Thankfully, yes," CB replied.

But, a quick glance to Finn, and he was focused on the human, "Finn, I hope your journey found you both well."

There was a tinge of amusement in his voice that went well over Finn's head, but not Phoebe's. But, he still responded, "Well... we didn't find out much about anything."

Forgetting CB's offhand comment, Phoebe continued where Finn left off, "It seems like we know so little compared to what Amun knows about these relics. I can't help but feel like he's hiding things from us."

"Hiding? I see," the pastry man's eye's flickered between the two others, then he yawned, "Then, perhaps you and Finn should discuss this further. As for me, I'd like to turn in early."

"Go ahead, CB," Phoebe smiled.

As he walked through the doorway behind the throne, he said, "I don't know how you do all this ruling _alone_ , Highness."

It was apparent that his little taunts were getting to her, if her burning cheeks were anything to go by. She silently motioned for Finn to follow her. There was a different door off to the right of the throne that they went through. Through it was what seemed like an ordinary, cozy kitchen. Finn looked around it and ended up leaning against the counter.

"Don't you have servants to make tea for you?" Finn commented as Phoebe looked around the cabinets.

"I do," she replied, "But, I just feel like being on my feet right now."

Finn noticed that she was on her tip-toes, trying to reach a higher cabinet shelf. He smiled to himself and pushed off the counter. "We've been on our feet this whole time, save for the treefort," reaching up past her, he asked, "Which one."

Deep red painted Phoebe's cheeks, "It's an ornate jar. With a water drop painted on it."

The way he looked down at her was odd. It had been so long since they'd last seen each other that it seemed she had no idea who he was now. When she looked into Finn's eyes, she no longer saw a desperate, confused sixteen year old boy. There was a warm liveliness to his gaze now, and a certainty in himself that she couldn't deny was almost attractive. Finn brought the jar down and put a small bit more distance between them.

"So these are the special leaves?" he inquired.

"Roots," she corrected, "The roots of the plant are grinded up with a mortar and pestle a bit."

"Then you add leaves, right?"

Phoebe giggled a bit, "Yes, but a very specific type of leaf. It's Jasmine with sugar plum sprig."

Finn adopted a puzzled look, "Why do they have to be specific?"

Taking a good chunk of root from the jar, she replaced it on the counter behind her. Phoebe smiled, "For flavor, of course."

"I always thought that it was just any leaves..." Finn paused for a moment before leaning back onto the counter, "Guess that's why my tea was never any good."

Both of them laughed quietly. Phoebe had only just noticed that Finn was much taller than her now. Nearly a head taller. No wonder he could reach that shelf. Their eyes met again and she saw that warm coziness again as she was grinding the root into powder.

Not a word was said when she tore her gaze from his. The grinding was done. From another jar, Phoebe produced a few dried out, shriveled leaves. They found their place with the root in a small mesh cylinder at the center of a glass teapot. "Now this part I usually need mitts for," Phoebe opened a tiny square of a fridge, "But could you get the water out for me please?"

"Yeah, sure, FP."

She laughed, "I'm so stupid. Did I seriously never tell you my first name?"

Finn stopped short of the counter with the jug of liquid, a dazed look on his face. "Oh, my Glob, you didn't, did you?" he began pouring.

The princess laughed into her hand, "Shoot, I'm such a dingus. I was probably all caught up in you being like a knight, or something."

"Finn," she said, prompting him to look at her, "My first name is Phoebe."

A small, stunned look on his face, he muttered, "Uh... cool. Erm..."

The kettle was full, so Finn placed the jug into the fridge. Phoebe was worried he may revert back to grabbing her attention, but he chortled instead, "That's an awesome name. But, I guess I'm a bit biased to names that start with 'F'."

"Finn, Phoebe is spelled with a 'P-H'," she cocked a brow at him.

A light blush graced his face. Finn gestured absently with his hands. "O-Oh. Well, uh, it's still a really cool name," he pulled his hat off his head like it were a hood, "Geez, did it get hotter in here or what?"

Phoebe giggled at that. The tea was setting, and it was then she realized that she was still in the skirt and camise that she'd been wearing for the last three days. She was suddenly conscious that Finn might consider that yucky. Of course, that thought was immediately put to bed. Phoebe knew he couldn't care care less about that.

But, at the same time, it couldn't hurt to freshen up, right? Finn _was_ a guest in her home and it would be rude of her to remain in this state. "Hey, Finn? I'm gonna go and change into something a bit more comfy, okay?"

Finn threw a half smile her way, "Yeah, sure. I'll wait right here for you."

As soon as she was out of the room, Finn jammed the palm of his hand into his forehead. "Phoebe starts with a 'P-H'?" he muttered, "I don't even know how to spell her first name? Stupid!"

A groan escaped him. This was going downhill. Old feelings were bubbling up that he didn't want in the forefront of his mind. It was always like this; every time he thought he might be over her, there she was. Perfect in his eyes and out of his grasp.

He breathed deep and smiled. _Just enjoy the time you have with her, and don't force it. Whatever will be, will be._

Phoebe, who was in her room, was in the middle of changing clothes. She thought she may have looked ridiculous, standing half naked in front of her wardrobe. This was _Finn_! Why on Ooo was she trying to figure out which dress highlighted her eyes the best? It's not like she had a crush on him or anything.

Her eyes widened a bit at that thought. She quickly grabbed a typical dress and threw it on. _I do_ not _have a crush on Finn again._ But, as soon as she walked past the mirror, she found herself nearly pressing her face against it, inspecting herself. Before she could even ponder if the bags under her eyes were from sleep or stress, her hand was on a makeup brush.

When Phoebe saw it in her hand, she set it down (albeit a bit roughly) and groaned loudly into her hands. "This isn't happening," she lamented.

"If it is, then maybe it's meant to be."

Phoebe squeaked and turned to see Cinnamon Bun in the doorway. "CB? But, you said you were going to bed," her eyes narrowed, "You lied?"

CB chuckled, "No. I did go to bed. But, then I heard you talking to yourself. The perks of having a room next to you."

"I'm sorry," Phoebe seemed to deflate, "You didn't hear all that did you?"

"I'm afraid so," the pastry came forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Phoebe, you are my dearest friend. You can't keep running from your own feelings. It isn't healthy. My advice to you is that if you feel like Finn has changed for the better, perhaps you should give him one more chance."

She looked ready to say something, but didn't. Phoebe looked at the wall, the other, then turned her head to look at the ground. "Maybe," she said quietly, then hugged Cinnamon Bun, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, go. He's waiting."

* * *

One would think that laying under the stars on a clear desert night should be peaceful, no? Yeah, no. Not for Amun, it's not. Well, it had been, until he felt a presence lying next to him.

* * *

 _ **I'm so sorry, but I think that's a good cliffhanger to leave this off on. I'm a on a pretty decent writing streak, so yeah. Who do you think is lying next to Amun? I'll give you a hint, it's a character that's already known to you guys. So, until then; ja ne!**_


	12. In Which A Goddess Play Peekaboo

_**Woo! back on track for now...**_

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

Amun was only aware of the presence for a moment before it said, "Peekaboo."

"What the shit?!" he yelped.

Eyes, an incredibly deep green, stared up at him. The startled look in his eyes faded back into his stoic neutral stare, "Lady Bastet?"

The figure in question stood up, getting up in his face in the process. Bastet tried to give him a cutesy look, her tail swishing behind her, "My apologies, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Why are you here?"

She pressed herself against him, drawing circles on his chest, "Straight to the point, hm? That's hot."

Amun stepped back, "Married, remember?"

The shine of amusement in his eyes cut through the darkness. Bastet crossed her arms across her impressive bust, "Killjoy."

"Why are you here?" Amun asked again.

Bastet didn't answer right away. Amun feared he overstepped his bound, but only briefly. _I'll be damned if I show her my fear._ Instead, he crossed his arms as well. With a sigh, Bastet said, "Fine. I was bored."

"Bored...?" Amun raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know gods could get bored."

Bastet rolled her eyes, "Oh, Father's sake, you aren't one of _those_ people, are you?"

The tension seemed to leave the air. "Okay, then," Amun sat himself back on the ground, "What made you come find me, then?"

Bastet sat down next to him, but didn't answer his question. She seemed to be more interested in the cloth masking his lower face. "Do you sleep in that thing?" she asked, pointing a dainty finger at the cloth.

Amun's eyes were the only indication of his confusion. She kept derailing him. But, he righted it by repeating with emphasis, "Why. Did you. Find me?"

Bastet's gaze turned skyward. "You really are no fun at all," she said, "I found you because you interest me. You're odd because I can read you like an open book, and yet I can't seem to figure you out."

"Is that so?" he goaded, "An open book?"

"Oh, please," Bastet scoffed, "You're a Guardian. Looking for all the relics? That Set-scum who's aura reeked did something personal to you, right? And now, you're Max Edgelord, so damaged and broody."

She laughed for a moment at her own joke. But, from the deepened scowl lines on Amun's brow, Bastet could see he wasn't amused at all. "When everything you've ever know is wiped away in a day, come talk to me, _Bastet_ ," he growled.

"Calm yourself, Edgelord," she said, "If you'd seen a fraction of the shit I've seen, you wouldn't be lording those edges so much right now."

"You're also a god-spirit-angel whatever," Amun laid down on his back with his arms tucked behind his head, "For humans, all it can really take to drive us over the edge is one really, really bad, fucked up day, y'know?"

Scooting herself a bit closer to him, Bastet laid down, too. She said, "Amun, Set killed everyone you knew, right? Well, on the food chain of tragedies, that's pretty up there."

"You don't say," Amun commented dryly.

"But, look at it this way; we all lose everyone eventually. You just... happened to lose them all at once."

Amun barked out a laugh, "Gee, how heartwarming."

"What, were you expecting something heartwarming?" she asked.

"Maybe," he huffed, "Well, if you're so bored, then why not help me?"

Bastet turned her head to meet Amun's eyes, "Help? You mean to gather the other objects?"

"More like 'object.' The only one left unaligned is the Lantern. And I just lost the entrance," Amun groaned, "I wonder if Anubis himself could tell where it is."

"He can. All of us can tell where our objects are," Bastet shifted a little in place, "so even if the place moves, the object should still be traceable."

Amun yawned, "Awesome. We can... we can work it out in the morning."

Bastet turned on her side, "It's adorable when you yawn."

"Shut up..."

"Make me."

* * *

Phoebe entered into the small kitchen wearing a simple dress made of a very light material. What she walked in on was much heavier. Finn had unclasped the sword from his back and let it clatter to the floor. He removed his shirt to reveal some sort of chainmail, which he also removed. After a good few seconds of staring at his well-defined back, the shirt was back on.

Not even bothering to say anything, she simply backed out of the room. She waited a minute and walked in. "Oh," she said, using her best surprised voice.

"Yeah, sorry about the junk on your floor," Finn smiled sheepishly, "But, even chainmail gets a little heavy after a while. And this stuff is, like, ultra-light."

Phoebe moved back to the counter, in front of the pot. Now truly intrigued, she asked, "What's it made of?"

Finn bent over and picked up the armored shirt in question, "I dunno. I think it's some sort of enchanted Mythril. Took it from an undead battlemage in the Night-o-Sphere."

Upon closer inspection, Phoebe found the craftsmanship was magnificent. If there was one thing that the Fire Kingdom prided itself on, it was its metalwork. In her relatively short rule, she herself had learned a few tricks of the trade. One such thing she learned a hefty bit from her brother was chainmail. The seams on the chains weren't visible at all, and the links were tightly woven.

"This must've taken decades to make," she muttered, awestruck.

Finn held it out to her and she took it. He had been right when he said it was light. The thing was obviously a masterpiece to the trained eye, but on the surface, it was far from extraordinary. It looked like silver with a bluish tint and a dim, white shimmer coming off of it. On top of that, it couldn't have been more than twenty pounds.

"Yeah, I heard that some blacksmith wizard perfected each ring- like half a year each- and even longer linking them," Finn grinned with the story, "It's really cool to think someone was that passionate about it. This thing's saved my life a whole bunch of times. Arrows can't get through it, and slashes with swords don't do much either. Only really use this for real dangerous missions, though."

Phoebe looked over to their tea, remembered that they were indeed making tea, and got some mugs from a lower cabinet shelf. "Why's that?" she asked.

Finn accepted the mug offered to him, "Well, I don't get a whole lot of armor that's this awesome. Don't wanna risk breaking it so soon on something trivial, rather than have it save my life one of these days."

Both of them left the kitchen, back to the throne room, Finn with his stuff in tow. "Can't argue with that logic," Phoebe said.

The throne room was unusually quiet. At least, it was quiet to Finn. It always seemed bustling when he visited. Silence pervaded the whole room as they nursed their tea. Phoebe was sat in her throne, angled to face Finn, who stood off to her right, facing her.

"Daily court is over, so we can just relax," for emphasis, Phoebe curled her legs up nearer to her chest.

The night passed slowly. At some point, Finn ended up sitting with his back resting on the front of the throne. It was late into the night, and their empty mugs had long since been discarded. A comfortable silence rested over them, like a blanket. Both of them were tired, but neither wanted to sleep just yet.

Finn chuckled, "Man, we gotta stop staying up so late before we do important biz."

Phoebe giggled a bit, "Yeah, we do."

This made Finn think of the other night. The night when they fell asleep at the Treefort, she said that she trusted him. "Hey, Phoebe...?" he said.

Phoebe hardly noticed her heart flutter when he used her name. "Yeah?" she responded.

"Did you mean it the other night...? When you said you trusted me?" Finn asked.

There was a long pause. "I... Yes... I do trust you, Finn. But maybe not in the way you're hoping," Phoebe chose her words carefully, "I'm just unsure if-"

"I know," Finn said, "What I did was wrong. And it hurt you. And I don't know if you'll ever be able to trust me like that again. But, do you think I could ever prove myself worthy of that trust one day?"

She smiled for a moment. "I'd like to think you could," she paused, "But... I'm just not sure right now."

Finn felt a tired smile gracing his face. "I may not _deserve_ a second chance..." he craned his head to look her in the eyes, "But, if you decide to give me one, I'll give my all to prove I'm different than I used to be."

"I wanna think about this. Just for a little while-"

"Please, take as much time as you need to, Phoebe."

"Finn, I don't want to keep you on a string."

"... Okay."

After that, the conversation wilted and fatigue took hold of them both. Phoebe led Finn to a guest room not too far from her own and Cinnamon Bun's. Finn stared at the ceiling well into the wee hours of the morning, far too tired to fall asleep. Phoebe was asleep far earlier that Finn, but his question still weighed heavy on her. She wanted to give him the chance right now, but her gut was telling her to think more.

Phoebe closed her eyes and rested her troubled heart.

The morning droned on. Morning rituals, hygiene, get dressed, and head to the dining hall. Phoebe met Cinnamon Bun in the hall. "Morning, CB," she said.

"Good morning, Phoebe," he replied, "I trust you slept well?"

"Actually, yeah," Phoebe smiled, "Glob, I haven't slept like that in a while."

Doorways indistinct from each other passed them by until they came upon the dining hall. Apparently, Finn had beaten them there. But, the fact he was asleep in his chair concerned Phoebe. She went over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. Finn woke with a start, but righted himself.

"Wha-? Oh," he yawned widely, "Hey, Phoebe. How you- ... How you doin'?"

The sleepiness in his voice made her giggle. Phoebe sat down in the chair next to Finn, "I'm just fine. Did you get enough sleep, though, Finn?"

"Erm... Well..." he hesitated.

Finn wanted to ease her mind, but he'd be lying if he said he slept well. All of his dreams were of a woman crying out for help. He barely had a couple hours' sleep before he came to sit in the dining hall for the remainder of the night. This was his chance to start changing. For her.

Finn sighed, "No. I slept horribly."

"Oh, no. That's not good," Phoebe placed a hand on his shoulder, "What's wrong? Was the bed not to your liking?"

"No, it's not that," he said, "I just kept hearing this woman cry for help in my sleep. No matter how fast I ran, I never went anywhere, and no matter how much I tried to yell back, I couldn't."

Finn put his head in his hands and groaned, "At least it wasn't one of those prophetic dreams. Jake and I seem to be prone to those."

"I wish there were a way for me to help you," Phoebe said quietly.

"I know, but people have nightmares all the time. I'm sure I'll have a great night's sleep tonight."

The servants came out with a whole plethora of breakfast foods, healthy and unhealthy alike. All three of them dug in with gusto. "Man!" cried Finn between bites and, sometimes with his mouth full, "I hadn't even realized that I'd eaten so little on our adventuring... or that Fire Elementals could cook so well!"

Phoebe, who _wasn't_ eating like a savage, replied, "We're living fire. Learning to cook is pretty much like learning to control our flames."

Finn paused his eating. "Oh," his face darkened a few shades, "Right."

Phoebe giggled and patted Finn's head. "Aw, he's learning," she cooed mockingly.

Finn said nothing in return, and instead opted to stuff some more food into his mouth. The small talk surrounding breakfast was just that: small. When breakfast was over and it came time for Finn to leave, Phoebe saw him off at the entrance of the palace. "Um, Finn?" she said.

"Yeah?" he responded.

Suddenly, Phoebe was looking down at her twiddling fingers. She said, "I... I worry about you sometimes. Call me when you're back at the Treefort, okay?"

With a wide half grin, Finn gave her a thumbs up, "Yeah, sure. No prob, Pheebs."

Before either of them really knew what was going on, Phoebe had wrapped him up in a hug. "I just know this whole thing is gonna turn out okay," she said in a low voice.

"Yeah," Finn wrapped his arms around her, "Me too."

* * *

 ** _Hooooooweeeeeeee! That's a lot of fluff for one chapter. Finally some character development on Finn's part, trying to be more honest with FP. It seems like Phoebe is seriously considering Finn again. Good! And... Bastet is being Bastet. So, hopefully I'll be able to keep pumping out ideas like this! Until next time. Ja ne!_**


	13. In Which A Side Quest Begins

**_Let's get right back into it..._**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

Yet another sleepless night. It was beginning to become a problem- or was it, really? Set stared up into the ceiling. At least this night was spent in a bed instead of on the ground. He'd begun to hate dirt when he came here.

Plus, sleeping in jeans had never been comfortable. The moon had set moments ago, and the stars speckled the sky with brilliance, enough so that Set had positioned himself to where he could best see out of the window. Of course, because he was left alone to ponder, he had a particularly twisted train of thoughts. Rose was his age, and while most Guardian families married young, Howell was far too close to her age to be her son.

They had to be siblings. _Ah, but where are their parents...?_ Dead, probably. That's how it usually is for Guardians. Train, fight, make a family with heirs, fight, die.

Supposedly, even when you die, you fight. _Did I mention fighting yet?_ He chuckled lowly to himself. For all he knew, this was their bedroom. No, they wouldn't have a spare room that had belonged to their dead parents.

Rose probably slept in that room. This was likely Rose's old room. Puzzle pieces, always clicking together in his head.

A peck at the window. His bird creature.

It had two large circlets in its beak. Set arose from the bed and opened the window. Taking the relics from it, he whispered, "Go, now."

With a weak crow, it flew away into the night. Over on a chair that sat in the corner of the room was his blazer. He walked to it and stared for a moment. It had been his father's. A small pouch rested inside of the inner chest pocket, next to the pouch of grey ash.

The bag opened up wide, then wider still. He dropped the circlets inside and fastened it shut again. Set sure did love his bottomless satchel. It was useful for hiding the relics from prying eyes. _No sense_ _in going back to bed now._

Set sighed softly and left the room. There was a bathroom down the short hall from him, across from Howell's room. Thankfully, they had a mirror. Set spent the better half of five minutes meticulously fixing and messing with his hair. Turns out that spending a whole night trying to sleep and failing doesn't do one's hair any kindness.

Next stop was to the den, which was cozy and well furnished with two chairs, one wooden and one lined with leather, and a small, plush couch. The fire in the fireplace was ash and nearly out, so Set picked some branch stock up from beside the stored logs and laid them over the embers. They ignited with some effort on Set's part and the fire was once again strong and healthy. Finally, Set sat back on the couch and stared into the flames.

Unsure of how much time had passed, he started when there was a stir in the kitchen behind him. "You're up remarkably early," he said.

A clatter heralded that they had been caught unawares. A small pause. "I could say the same of you," said Rose, curtly.

Set rose from the couch and went into the kitchen. "I've always had trouble sleeping," he said.

A small hum in response. A familiar, unpleasant smell wafted into his nose. She was making coffee. Set hated the stuff, but years of very little sleep made the drink a necessary evil. "Make enough for two?" Set asked.

Rose didn't speak. She answered by pulling two mugs from the cabinet. Surprisingly, she took her coffee black, while Set loaded his with sugar and cream. Anything to dull the horrid, bitter taste. Yet, still he cringed when he took a sip.

"You take your coffee like your men?" Set smirked when she scowled, "That's not a 'no.'"

Rose ignored him, and went to sit on one of the chairs in the living room. He shrugged and followed. He sat in his place on the couch. "Talk," she said, "I want to know why you're here."

"Right, the whole 'unexpected Guardian undercover' thing. Well," Set leaned forward, his hands a bridge for his chin, "I'm on a mission from the Divine, Himself. A mission to gather the Relics, release the power of Atum, and reset the world. And I need help. I've been doing this alone, but a deranged, heretic Guardian stands in my way.

"My entire village, my people, they were all heretics. They tried to kill me when I told them that He spoke to me! I had no choice but to defend myself and run from this Guardian who calls himself Amun. I took up the name Set to hide from him, but it didn't last for long. He's on my tail."

Rose had an odd look about her. She was more stunned than anything, but there was intensity behind her gaze. "Please, I implore you, help me," he said.

"... We were taught _never_ to gather all of the relics. Never to unleash Atum's power. I-I don't-"

" _Please_ ," Set looked her deep in the eyes, "This is a message straight from the Divine, I know it."

"We must verify this and discuss it with the village Elder."

Set nodded and downed the remaining coffee. He shook his head of the bitter taste, then straighten his hair back. "The Elder is a fair journey from here. We should leave soon if we want to make it back before I have patrol," Rose said.

"I'll go get my coat then," Set replied as he stood and went down the hall.

Rose, too, went down the hall, but in the opposite direction. She went into Howell's room quietly. "Howell," she ran a hand gently through his hair, "Howell, wake up for a moment."

The young man whined and swiped at her in a "go away" motion. "Sleep," he mumbled.

Rose rolled her eyes and continued, "Howell, Set and I must speak to the village Elder about his stay here. We'll be gone for most of the morning. Don't forget about your training."

A tired, muffle noise was all she got, but it was all she needed. She yanked his ear a little, earning an annoyed groan. "And drink water!" she nagged.

Howell nodded into his pillow. Rose waited for a moment. As soon as he was asleep again, she laid a small kiss on his temple and left the room.

Set came from the guest room at the same time, his coat donned. It was time to see how this would play out.

* * *

Another _very_ long day for Phoebe. Almost a week since Finn's stay in the castle and not a day had past that he didn't call her. Not for a lot, but for small talk. But, tonight was different. There was no call, and it worried her.

Finn had called her yesterday saying that it was eerily quiet all across the Grasslands. Even the Candy Kingdom was lacking its usual flow of rescue-needing. Only a week of consistent contact with Finn and she was reduced to _this_ after he doesn't call once. It was ridiculous! _He probably just got an adventure or found a dungeon today, that's all._

Phoebe noticed that her leg was bouncing up and down in a nervous tic. She forced it to stop and looked at the grand clock hung on the wall across the hall. Court was almost done with night upon the land. Phoebe was about to stand and make her exit when none other than Flambo walked in, carrying some manor of container. "Greetin's, y'Majesty," he said.

A smile came over Phoebe's face. She rose from the throne to meet him, "Good evening, Flambo. What brings you here so late?"

"Gotcha a package from Finn here," Flambo said as he handed the container off to her, "Said it might help youse when the mornin's are rough."

"I'll be sure to thank him, then. Thank you very much, Flambo," Phoebe was about to walk away, but stopped, "Do you want some charcoal? I have some if you want."

"Thank ya y'Majesty, but Finn already set me up with a nice stash," he said.

The monarch smiled again, "How nice of him. Very well. Have nice night, Flambo."

"G'night, y'Majesty!" he called as he waved.

As soon as he was gone, Phoebe set to her package. The container opened with a bit of a hiss. Cold air brushed and stung against her face, much like opening a hot oven would anyone else. On top, a piece of paper. Phoebe giggled at the way tin foil was crudely wrapped around the edges like a frame.

The paper read thusly: "Sorry I didn't call today, Pheebs. I guess I ate my words when I said it was quiet. Had a really busy day, so I thought I'd send you something to make up for it."

What followed were detailed instructions on how to prepare a drink called coffee. Phoebe found that all of the materials she needed were inside and wrapped haphazardly in tin foil. Again, it made her giggle, as it reminded her of how very like Finn it was to lack any sort of pinache in wrapping or anything that didn't involve a sword. Scrawled at the very bottom, she saw a post script, which read, "Oh, and you can thank Princess Bubblegum for the nifty can.

"I dunno how I woulda gotten this there otherwise."

Bubblegum was a name that wasn't quite so sweet on her pallet after her last visit. There hadn't been a visit since and Phoebe was sure that she could go a good bit longer without another. But, that was of no concern, for her curiousity was piqued. Phoebe went into the small kitchen where she and Finn had made tea before and set about making this coffee. Surely it couldn't hurt to try some before bed.

* * *

At long last, Finn stumbled back up into his room. With a tired huff, he collapsed into bed. He winced in pain at a prick in his side. Finn reached down and pulled a shard of green glass from his body. In the moonlight, it glimmered in both the brilliant green of the glass and the sticky red of his blood.

Finn chucked it out of the window and turned over on his stomach, stuffing his face into the pillow. Fully ready for sleep to take him, Finn closed his eyes. It would seem the world really had it in for him though, because almost immediately, his phone rang its shrilly ring. Nothing appealed to him more than just ignoring the call, but that wouldn't have been very becoming of him. As he answered, he thought, _Besides, what if it was important?_

"Finn!" came a familiar voice.

"Phoebe?" he asked, "You're still awake?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, she was replying, "Yeah, yeah, totally! Finn, that coffee stuff you send me was _amazing_! Really yummy."

 _My Glob._ "Pheebs... you didn't drink it before bed, did you?"

"Well, I couldn't wait till morning, now could I?" Phoebe rambled, "It just tasted so good! I didn't realize cream and sugar was so good before coffee. Then, it gave me this really weird boost of energy and now I can't stop! I wanna do something."

Phoebe gasped dramatically, "Let's go dungeon crawling, Finn! You have any good places mapped out?"

Finn briefly covered the microphone and whimpered pathetically to himself before getting back on, "Uh, that energy is pretty fleeting, Pheebs. You'll probably come down and crash by the time you got here, even if you left right now."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm already here."

 _Knock-knock!_

 _Was it so wrong to wish that I could've spent time with Phoebe today that the universe just had to hit me with hummus...? Or- what was it- hubris?_ Finn hung up and sighed, heading down the hall and ladder to the door. Any frustration melted when he saw that Phoebe stood there with a big smile on her face, bouncing on her heels. It made him smile, even if he was tired.

Obviously oblivious to Finn fatigue, Phoebe asked, "So! Where to?"

* * *

 ** _Well, now we know. Never give caffeine to Phoebe. Hopefully, Finn'll be able to get away with a nice, smooth dungeon crawl... Pffffft, who am I kidding, he's gonna get put through the ringer. So, stay tuned, dear readers, because I've got a side quest to write! Ja ne~!_**


	14. In Which a Rescue Is Launched

**_For the dungeon coming up, I'm taking a hefty amount of inspiration from the dungeon, Haukke Manor, in Final Fantasy 14. That includes creatures and lore. While I've altered it slightly, the inspiration is heavily saturated with it. Consider this a disclaimer. Also, to all those who've left these glowing reviews, thank you so much. That's the coal that keeps the furnace burning. I hope I can continue to put out content worthy of such praise._**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

Finn looked really tired. It took only a second to notice that he didn't have any of his armor on, his hat was missing, and his side was bleeding. The young man leaned against the doorway, "It's... kinda late, though. I had a _really_ long day and-"

Phoebe, while she did feel a little pain for the hero, the feeling was lost in her caffeinated haze. "But, _Finn_ ," she whined, "I'm never gonna burn off all this energy doing things that can be done around the house."

Finn rolled his eye, and a small, tired smile graced his features, "I could think of a few things."

There was a pause between both of them. While Finn meant it seriously, Phoebe's face lit up with a blush. This indicated to Finn that, while he may not know what he said, he said something weird. "I meant that I would think of something with you," he deadpanned.

Yet another silence permeated the air. Crickets chirped, the wind blew, but Phoebe did not move. The caffeine in her system sped up her thoughts to a point where she couldn't even focus on them. So, she just grabbed Finn's wrist to drag him along, but let go when he yelped in pain. Phoebe looked to his other wrist and noticed the absence of the relic.

"Sorry 'bout that," she looked away awkwardly.

Finn waved the apology away. Burns were more akin to bumping into one another nowadays, so there was no need to blow it up. "Come on in and relax while I get ready," Finn stepped aside and motioned her in.

In the midst of all of her rapidly processed thoughts, Phoebe managed to grasp at some of them passing by. _Finn's house is so cool. I wonder if he has a room full of swords. Where's his bedroom at? Does Jake have his own room?_

Then, she landed on the subject of Finn himself. He wasn't as roundabout in his mannerisms as he used to be. It was almost weird how different things seemed to be. Yesterday, they were two ignorant kids, trying to figure out who they were. Now?

Well, she didn't even know.

It seemed as though they both grew into what they were supposed to be, but was this always the end game? Her, a queen and him, a hero? It drew her thoughts to the different paths they could have taken. Thoughts that had to wait, because Finn came back. The chainmail was missing, but he still wore the small bit of mysterious metal over his heart, he had his backpack and the relic on.

His hat was missing, but this was apparently her cue to grab him by the arm and drag him out the door before he could grab it. Finn groaned miserably and just went with it. "Do you even have a place for us to go?" he asked.

"Not really," Phoebe answered confidently, "I was hoping you had somewhere in mind."

"Not really," Finn echoed, "All I've had time to do today was work and save folks."

Finn sighed. _This could be worse,_ he thought, _I could've been dragged around by someone I don't like._ It did little to console his fatigue-addled mind, and he began spacing out. Phoebe was still in one of her many dresses, he noticed, and they were in the woods now. As her dress snagged on the various vines and bunches of branches, she paid it little mind.

As they caught her in their wooden grip, she simply tore it free again. Each small rip from the dress dispersed into flame and disappeared in the night. Finn occasionally had to snuff out the flames while Phoebe wasn't looking. When some began burning higher branches, he found that the relic was made useful when he could simply use his hand. It was around this time Finn realized Phoebe was no longer holding onto his wrist, but his hand now.

His cheeks burned. His sleepiness momentarily disappeared. Jogged from his thoughts, he focused on Phoebe's voice. "So what happened today? Seems like a lot," she said.

"A lot. First, PB called me up to save some candy people, and I did that," he yawned, and slowly descended into a rant, "But, then there was this Ent who was bothering some Grassland peeps. I guess he didn't realize that their trees weren't Huorns? I dunno. Next thing I know, I turn around and some more Candy People were getting in trouble.

"I end up needing to save both them _and_ the Banana Guards. Water Nymphs' river was running dry, panic over traveling Fire Elementals, Ice King being Ice King. Ugh, and on top of all of _that_ I come back home to see the Treefort absolutely covered in glass ivy."

"Glass ivy?" Phoebe asked, "What's that?"

"It's like regular ivy, but it's made out of really shiny, really sharp crystal. It's usually clear, but the stuff around the Treefort was green. Weird."

"Sounds like a rough day," she replied.

Again, Phoebe's dress caught on the brush and vines, and again, she tore it without a second thought. Finn huffed and put out the fires with his hands, "I probably shouldn't complain, though. I dunno anymore. Whenever I try to vent to PB, she kinda shuts me down."

Phoebe hopped over a fallen tree, skip still in her step, "I notice that Bonnibel has a habit of that. She's _really_ closed herself off to others' advice."

"Right?!" Finn threw his hands up, "It drives me up the wall when she cuts me off when I'm _trying_ to improve safety in the kingdom."

Before either of them could take it any further, they came upon a clearing. The eerie light from the moon gave life to the barren circle. A single bench with a man sitting on it was placed near the other end of the clearing. Side by side, they stood. Silence permeated the air and it was thick like a gel.

They laid eyes on the elf. His hair gray and his face angular, he was dressed head to toe in some manner of tuxedo. He turned to them. Shivers ran up their spines, but neither knew if it was the night chill or the gaze of the man. "Hello, my children," the man said.

Slowly, they approached him. His voice seemed warm with a tinge of an accent, but his face remained stoic, "Are you lost, my children?"

Finn shook his head. "We're," he yawned widely, "adventurers in search of folks in need."

"I see," he replied, "Then, perhaps, you could be of some assistance to me."

It was at this particular moment that Phoebe decided that she would not only vault directly over Finn, but she would also use his shoulders for leverage. This ended with Phoebe in the man's face and with Finn on the ground. With a small "why me," Finn got up as Phoebe, with a wide smile, said, "We'll help you in any way we can!"

A small smile showed the lines on his face, "My name is Haurchefant. I was once the proud butler for House Báthory. My mistress is a kind, beautiful woman. But, one day, the estate was overgrown by glass ivy. It came during the night, and by morning, it was so thick that we were trapped.

"Days passed and food began to run low. They sent me out to get them food. It was dangerous, and I did not escape without injury."

Haurchefant raised his arm to show an empty sleeve. "I stay here to send them food. But, it has been many weeks. I fear for their lives. Are you skilled, my children?" he asked, "I would not live another day knowing I've sent you to your deaths."

Finn waved him off. Another yawn, "I can handle glass ivy. Where's this place?"

"Follow the trail north. Less than five minutes and you'll be upon it," Haurchefant's shimmering, red eyes hazed with some unspoken emotion, "Do be careful."

With a big thumbs up from Finn and wave from Phoebe, they took to the path. It didn't take too long for the small patches of ivy to begin to thicken and cover the other plant life. Soon, it crunched under their feet. The path opened up to an old, rusted iron gate. Beyond that, sat on the top of a small hill, was the estate.

It was a large, looming giant of a building made of stone and stained glass. Beautiful as it was, it was consumed by glass ivy. Even with the setting moon, the dying light cast the green color over the trees, the grass, and the approaching pair. Finn locked fingers and stretched his arms above his head, yawning. "You ready for this?" he asked.

"Yup," she replied, "Geez, we better get in and out. You look like you're ready to drop dead."

Finn hummed in response. They got closer to the gate. A single padlock and chain, both terribly rusted, bound the gate shut. Finn craned his head up and groaned. He simply took the lock in his hand.

The rust was thick enough and the lock felt brittle. With a rough yank, it broke in Finn's hand. Phoebe stifled a laugh, "If you're too tired to climb over, I could've just melted the bars."

An amused smile crossed his face and he shrugged, "Meh."

Phoebe covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled. Both of them were silent. When they came to the front doors of the estate, they found it sealed shut by the sharp ivy. Finn took his sword in his hand, reeled back, and brought the pommel smashing into the ivy. A fair bit of the it had been smashed away.

A few more hits and there was a sizable hole in the ivy. Backing away, he motioned for Phoebe. With a confident expression, she cracked her knuckles and burned a hole in the wood. "After you, good Sir Knight," she said with a titter.

Finn chuckled and shook his head, "Very well, milady."

That was nickname Phoebe hadn't heard in a long time. And she swore that, for a moment, she saw him smile at her like he did back then. But, he wasn't. She realized she was just staring goofily at his back. With an inward groan, she thought, _I don't need this now._

As far as Finn was concerned, he was trying to make himself as not-there as possible. He had been tired enough to let that name slip. _Maybe if I ignore it, it'll go away._ To try and help take his mind off of it, he took in his surroundings like he had in a thousand places before. Not a detail was overlooked.

The room was lit up by a massive stained glass window above the entrance. Its colorfully patterned pane swirled and danced on the floor and against the ivy. The ivy was so reflective and colorful, it was disorienting. It nearly covered everything, from the shambled chairs and tables, to the cracked tile floors, to the ruined alabaster pillars lining the hall. The pillars themselves held up the second floor, which looked more like a balcony wrapped around the edge of the room.

Toward the end of the room were two stairways on opposite sides. Between them was a small, sturdy-looking wooden door on the back wall. Above it, on the second floor, was another door. It was a great deal larger and more intricate than the one below. "Think that's where they are?" Finn asked.

Before Phoebe could answer, screams and banging could be heard from behind the wooden door. Finn sprinted to it, "Come on!"

He kicked the door in, and behind it? Nothing. It was an empty stairwell that seemed to descend into nothing. The ivy crawling over every surface only added to the fright. "Okay," Finn placed a hand on Phoebe's shoulder, "We're doing this."

* * *

 ** _Yes, Finn. We're doing this._**


End file.
